Indian police in Bengaluru have arrested three Nigerian nationals, including a student and a software engineer, in connection with a major drug trafficking operation. The Central Crime Branch (CCB), through its Anti-Narcotics Wing, carried out a coordinated raid last Friday that dismantled a network supplying narcotics across the city. Seven suspects were taken into custody, among them Nigerians identified as Kevin Rozer, Kingsley Chukwuemeka, and Thomas Chime.
According to a report by The Hindu, investigators recovered large quantities of banned substances during the operation. In one of the seizures, officers arrested a 30-year-old Nigerian national and recovered 500 grams of hydro-ganja estimated to be worth ₹75 lakh. Police said the suspect, Rozer, was working as a software engineer with a tech company in Bengaluru. He allegedly sourced the narcotics from contacts based in Delhi and Mumbai and distributed them to clients using a drop-location system. Investigators also revealed that he managed a WhatsApp group which he used to advertise and sell the drugs.
In a separate raid carried out in Hebbagodi, Chukwuemeka and Chime were arrested with 42 grams of ecstasy tablets and 3.8 kilograms of MDMA powder in both white and brown form. Police disclosed that the two primarily supplied narcotics to students and IT employees. Both men were described as habitual offenders, having been previously involved in similar cases in Gujarat and booked by the Narcotics Control Bureau. Reports further indicated that they had entered India on medical visas but were found to be overstaying.
This latest crackdown adds to the growing list of Nigerians arrested in India on drug-related charges. In August, police in Kozhikode apprehended three Nigerians in connection with a synthetic drug laboratory discovered in Gurugram, Haryana. The increasing number of such arrests has raised concern among Nigerian communities abroad, particularly as reports of discrimination and hostility towards Nigerians continue to surface in countries such as India, Ghana, and South Africa.