How a 74-year-old man got trapped in drug-dealing by Ethiopian cartel

DRI checking the man`s suitcase at Mumbai airport

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested a 74-year-old man on suspicion of attempting to import drugs into Mumbai from Ethiopia. The central agency discovered that the suspect was trapped by Ethiopian drug traffickers during an online job search when he got an anonymous email telling him he had won a lottery for $10,500,000. (ten million, five hundred thousand US dollars).

The accused's transportation from Hyderabad to Ethiopia was also arranged by the drug traffickers.

According to DRI, on March 13, a resident of Andhra Pradesh identified as Damodara Dubey was apprehended at Mumbai International Airport based on his suspicious behavior. He had arrived from Ethiopia via Addis Ababa. The officials searched his black-colored trolley bag, and despite emptying all his clothes, the weight of the bag was heavy.

"Upon suspicion that something had been concealed in the said black colored trolley bag, the officers cut open the lower part of the said black colored trolley bag and recovered two packets." The recovered packets were found to weigh around 4,935 grams and contain a cream-colored granular substance purported to be heroin.

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The heroine, worth Rs 30 crore in the international market, has been seized, and the accused was arrested. He was produced in the Killa Court on March 17. While the accused has been sent to judicial custody, the DRI official later arrested two Nigerians in the case. The DRI has recorded the statement of the accused and found that he is 74 years old, an orphan, and unmarried, and there is no one to look for him. Officials have said that he was unable to take up any job to take care of his livelihood and was searching for some online job where he could earn a handsome amount without any substantial physical or mental burden.

"While searching for such an online mode of earning, he was contacted over email by a person, where he was assured to win USD 10,500,000 dollars (ten million, five hundred thousand United States dollars). He was asked to visit Malawi for the release of USD 10,500,000 dollars in lieu of signing some documents. DRI officials told the court while seeking his custody.

"He received one email wherein it was intimated to him that he had won USD 10,500,000 (ten million, five hundred thousand United States dollars only). He was contacted by one person named Mr. Edward Hicks over email, who convinced him to come to Malawi. The remand application for DRI reads.

According to sources, he was told that in order to release the fund of USD 10,500,000, he was supposed to sign one document, and for that, he needed to visit Malawi. That after rejecting the said proposal on two previous occasions, he finally agreed to the proposal to visit Malawi since the amount of USD 10,500,000 was huge and he was already in a financial crunch. However, he told Mr. Edward Hicks about his inability to book flight tickets to visit Malawi.

The drug dealers then arranged for his flight from Hyderabad to Malwa, and after he reached there on March 6, one of Dr. Holman's agents, who identified himself as Jack, came to receive him and take him to a hotel. The agent then took his signature on some papers and handed over flight tickets to him for the journey from Malawi to Addis Ababa, Addis Ababa to Mumbai, and then from Mumbai to Hyderabad, along with 200 USD for miscellaneous expenses. "When he was leaving the hotel room, Mr. Jack (the agent of Dr. Holman) also handed over to him a black-colored trolley bag and asked to hand over the said trolley bag to one person who is a friend of Dr. Holman in India," the remand application reads further.

The DRI officials apprehended him after he landed in Mumbai and recovered the drugs later, based on information that two Nigerian nationals were apprehended in Delhi in the case. "The investigation conducted so far has further revealed that a larger syndicate has been involved in the smuggling of heroin." "Some of the accomplices of the accused, who aided and abetted the crime, are yet to be apprehended." DRI officials told the court.

The officials have found that he was being told that the bag contains some African clothes, which have to be handed over to a person in Mumbai, and he will be contacted after he gets out of the airport. The agent, Jack, who was an African national, gave him 200 dollars and 30000 kawacha (Zambian Kwacha), equivalent to INR 120,825.