Navi Mumbai: Nigerian national held with cocaine worth Rs 5.7 lakh

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A Nigerian national has been arrested for alleged possession of cocaine worth Rs 5.7 lakh in Navi Mumbai, police told news agency PTI on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Navi Mumbai police apprehended the accused from the Kharghar area on Saturday, an official told PTI.

The ANC team recovered 57 gm of cocaine worth Rs 5.7 lakh from the accused, identified as Egbulem Michael Okewuchukwu, the official told PTI.

An offence under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered against the man, and a probe is underway to find out from where the contraband was sourced, reported PTI.

Earlier, police have arrested a Nigerian national in Maharashtra's Navi Mumbai and seized from him mephedrone or MD drug worth around Rs 10 lakh, an official told news agency PTI.

The accused was arrested at Kopar Khairane on August 25 night, he said.

"Based on a tip-off, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Navi Mumbai police laid a trap at a parking spot in Kopar Khairane and nabbed the accused around 9 pm," the police official told PTI.

The accused, identified as 31-year-old Nnachor Paul, was found carrying 100 grams of the MD drug, the police official told PTI.

Following this, he was formally arrested and an offence under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against him, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has seized 101.31 kg of banned hypnotic sedative methaqualone worth Rs 50.65 crore here and arrested five persons allegedly involved in its smuggling, an official told PTI .

The DRI's regional unit intercepted a car with Telangana number plate on August 22 in Pune and found plastic containers filled with a crystalline substance, the official told PTI.

Preliminary tests indicated that it was methaqualone, but further forensic analysis was being done, he added.

During the course of the probe, the DRI arrested five persons from Telangana, Maharashtra, Delhi and Haryana under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the official told PTI.

The accused were engaged in the illegal sale, purchase, transportation and export of psychotropic substances. The cartel may be spread in different states and also have overseas connections, the official told PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)