The police have activated their informers to get information about rave parties that might have been planned.
Published Dec 14, 2023 | 4:09 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 14, 2023 | 4:15 PM
Arrested Nigerian with his seized drug packages
The Bengaluru City Police’s Central Crime Branch (CCB) has stepped up its vigilance after drugs valued at ₹21 crore in the international market were seized from a 44-year-old Nigerian.
The CCB’s intensified vigil comes even as the city is gearing up to welcome the New Year with gaiety.
Organisers of New Year parties and other related events, including DJs, would be under the CCB scanner.
The police have activated their informers to get information about rave parties that might have been planned for the New Year. Previous offenders in drug cases, including those out on bail. are also under active surveillance.
Additionally, the narcotics wing has alerted courier companies to look out for suspicious shipments.
The city police have also intensified the checking of luggage, parcels, and/or consignments as a part of routine policing at all transit points. The Railway Police and Railway Protection Force personnel, too, have been roped in to check the transport of drugs.
Besides, the police have launched a campaign to spread awareness among landlords renting out their properties to foreigners. They have been asked to mandatorily obtain copies of their tenants’ passports/other identification documents and submit them to the local police.
In the case of the arrested Nigerian, Leonard Okwudili, the landlord had not submitted the necessary documents to the jurisdictional police. The CCB sleuths had taken the homeowner in custody and recorded his statement.
CCB officers said they had stumbled upon a consignment — an ironing table — a couple of months ago. Instead of the cushion, the table was lined with one kg of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA — known as ecstasy or molly in party circles.
The law enforcers tracked the address to a drug peddler and went through his contacts. “This drug peddler was in constant touch with Leonard Okwudili, a resident of Ramamurthy Nagar. Okwudili came to Bengaluru on a business visa about a year ago. His visa is still valid,” a CCB officer told South First.
After identifying the man, CCB sleuths shadowed him for a couple of months but found nothing suspicious. “He (Leonardo Okwudili) left his house and returned empty-handed. He did not have a bank account, and he roamed around with friends, but the police could not find his source of income,” the officer said.
Further investigation revealed that he was selling small quantities of the banned substance to people known to him. “He packed the substance in inconspicuous packings such as chocolate boxes, soap boxes, bedsheet covers, readymade garments, etc. The CCB officers also recovered a mobile phone, three electronic weighing machines, and various other items from Okuwudili’s house,” he added.
The Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Bengaluru Crime Branch successfully arrested an international drug dealer. The individual had stocked 16 Kg of MDMA and 500 gm of Cocain worth Rs 21 Crore for the upcoming New Year parties. Additionally, the police recovered a mobile phone, three… pic.twitter.com/ymcyn7HyiN
— ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ನಗರ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ BengaluruCityPolice (@BlrCityPolice) December 12, 2023
On searching his rented accommodation, the CCB officers found around 16 kg of MDMA worth ₹16 crore in crystal and powder forms, coloured and packed like sweets. The investigators also found 500 gm of cocaine worth ₹5 crore.
Bengaluru city police commissioner B Dayananda told reporters on Tuesday, 12 December, that it was the biggest drug haul in the city.
The Nigerian has been suspected of being a part of a bigger interstate cartel, involved in procuring and peddling drugs. However, the CCB officers were yet to find the origin of the drug.
“He could have sourced it through the darknet. He might have received them through courier service. He had been hoarding drugs to make some quick money around New Year,” another senior CCB officer told South First.
Okwudili did not have any previous cases registered against him in the city. “This is the first time he has been booked in Bengaluru. However, we need to check if he was involved in any criminal activities in other states,” the officer added.
The Ramamurthy Nagar police have registered a case against Okwudili under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Foreigners Act.
