Three Nigerian nationals were arrested by Indian police on Monday for their alleged links to a synthetic drug manufacturing operation discovered in Gurugram, Haryana, after being detained in Kozhikode.
According to a report by The Times of India on Tuesday, August 26, the breakthrough came after a seizure in February 2025 in Kozhikode, Kerala, where authorities confiscated 778 grams of MDMA near the railway station.
Following interrogation, Siraj, a Malappuram resident, disclosed that the drugs originated from New Delhi.
Analysis of his phone and financial records enabled investigators to track the supply chain to the three Nigerian individuals.
The suspects, identified as Henry Onuchukwu, John alias David, and Okolie Romanus, were pinpointed as key figures and tracked to Gurugram using mobile phone tower data.
Acting on intelligence from Kozhikode police, Haryana authorities raided an industrial estate and discovered 900 grams of cocaine, 2.3 kg of unprocessed cocaine, 1.6 kg of sulfonamides, and 43 mobile phones, with the haul valued at around ₹1 crore.
Police said that apart from Romanus, the other foreign nationals involved lacked valid tourist or residential visas and had no legal documents to remain in India.
A team from Kozhikode town police, led by Inspector Jithesh, carried out extensive investigations across Haryana, Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh, leading to the arrests and the dismantling of the drug network.
The breakthrough may be linked to the newfound cooperation between Nigeria and India on the drug war.
Persecondnews recalls that on August 6, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of Nigeria and India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had agreed to intensify their collaborative efforts to combat drug trafficking between the two nations.
The primary focus, they said, will be on stopping the flow of illicit opioids, such as tramadol and codeine-based syrups, from India into Nigeria.
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