Police authorities in Bengaluru have intensified operations against suspected narcotics syndicates across the city, leading to the arrest of 11 suspects, including a Nigerian national and a Nepalese citizen, in coordinated raids targeting multiple distribution points.
9News Nigeria reports that officers carried out arrests in Yelahanka, Adugodi, Bharathinagar, Jalahalli and Pulakeshinagar as part of an ongoing effort to dismantle organised drug supply chains allegedly serving students and other residents within the metropolis.
According to the city’s Police Commissioner, Seemant Kumar Singh, the combined seizures from the operations were valued at about Rs 2.57 crore, with an estimated street value rising to roughly Rs 5.14 crore.
Among those arrested is 44-year-old Nigerian national Samuel Ikkena, who investigators accused of operating an MDMA distribution network reportedly disguised as a clothing business. Police said he entered India in 2012 on a business visa and previously traded garments in Delhi and Mumbai before relocating to Bengaluru last year.
Authorities alleged that Ikkena sourced MDMA crystals near Bannerghatta at relatively low cost before redistributing them through an organised supply chain at higher market rates. Officers recovered about 2 kilograms of MDMA crystals from him during the operation.
In a related development, officers attached to Adugodi Division arrested Baljit Singh from Uttar Pradesh and Arjun Joshi over alleged heroin supply activities within the city. Investigators said Joshi initially used narcotics before later becoming involved in distribution after reportedly obtaining supplies from Singh, who sourced them from Punjab.
Police recovered approximately 162 grams of heroin and three mobile phones from the duo during the arrest operation.
Further searches across linked locations led to the seizure of 31.396 kilograms of cannabis, 220 grams of hydroponic cannabis, additional heroin quantities and a motorcycle allegedly used for transporting narcotics.
Authorities said preliminary findings suggest the suspects obtained drugs through both interstate and foreign-linked supply routes before distributing them locally at inflated prices.
Cases have been filed under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, while investigators continue efforts to identify and apprehend the principal coordinators believed to be behind the wider trafficking network.
