African national held from Navi Mumbai after MDMA worth Rs 2 cr seized

B O Afro, the African national who had been hiding in Navi Mumbai

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Mumbai has arrested an African national, B O Afo, almost six months after seizing 2.170 kg of MDMA worth Rs 2 crore. The accused involvement was discovered following the seizure, he was tracked to Navi Mumbai, where he had been hiding and had disconnected his phone. The officials also found the drug syndicate involved has links to the Netherlands.

The seized MDMA

The NCB sources said the seized drugs would have been distributed to cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Goa and Hyderabad. Investigators are identifying the other key associates in the larger syndicate. "Afo was arrested on Tuesday and remanded in police custody till April 28 after being produced in court. We found he has international links, which are being investigated," said Amit Ghawate, additional director, NCB, Mumbai. According to the NCB, Afo was using a fake passport and his visa had expired. "He came to India in 2018 and has been staying here since then," said an official from the NCB.

The drug bust

In October 2023, the NCB received information about a parcel containing a huge quantity of high-value drugs being sourced from the Netherlands and transported into Mumbai. Analysis led to the identification and detection of the parcel on October 19, 2023 at the Foreign Post Office, Mumbai. When the parcel was unboxed, they were found to contain items such as toys, crayons, pens, etc. "However, on closer examination, it was observed that the packaging was abnormal. When one side was cut open, layers of multi-coloured MDMA tablets were found concealed between the layers of the flap. When other flaps of the package were cut open, more such tablets were recovered. A total of 4,970 MDMA tablets were seized," said an NCB official.

International angle

Since the quantity of the drugs was huge and there was an international angle, an extensive investigation was initiated by the NCB. "The syndicate had carefully maintained a technical evasive manoeuvre to avoid any identification. However, in the course of our in-depth investigation, credible technical analysis led to the identification of a financial trail," said the official.

After the seizure, the accused came to know about the police operation and disconnected his mobile phones and was roaming without any gadgets. "During the investigation, we found that he was making domestic as well as international transactions from his debit and credit cards. Some money was also sent to the Netherlands to his syndicate subordinates," said an NCB official.

"The syndicate was using new tricks and the parcels and modes of transport they use differ. However, with the help of international bank accounts and transactions, we are trying to trace accused operating from foreign countries," said the official.

4,970
No of MDMA tablets seized