NEW DELHI: Two Nigerian nationals who were allegedly trying to smuggle out 21 kg of high quality heroin of Afghanistan origin to Cameroon via Mumbai and Addis Ababa were arrested by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in South Delhi on Sunday. The heroin consignment was neatly concealed in the shock absorbers for Maruti cars.

Planned to board

August Kranti

Acting on a tip-off that two Nigerians had received a major consignment of heroin in the Capital and were planning to take it to Mumbai on board the August Kranti Express, the DRI officials laid a trap and rounded up the suspects. From their travelling documents, they were identified as Frank Kingsley Ugochukwu (24) and Okechukwu Samuel Abugu (31). Initially, they claimed that they dealt in motor-parts and were carrying shock absorbers.

However, on a careful inspection of the shock absorbers, the DRI officials found something concealed in them. They cut them open and recovered the drug stuffed in small plastic packets. "Each shock absorber contained nearly 300 gm of heroin," said a DRI official, adding that two confirmed tickets of different Ethiopian Airlines flights on Monday, with the same destination, were recovered from the accused.

During interrogation, they allegedly disclosed that they were going to Mumbai, then to Addis Ababa and Douala in Cameroon. The officials suspect that the consignment was meant for supply in European countries and the United States.

Another case

In another case, the DRI had information about a Nigerian who was carrying a heroin consignment. He had already left for Mumbai on board the Rajdhani Express. The accused was arrested at Mumbai Central railway station and 14 kg of heroin was recovered from his possession. The consignment had also been concealed in shock absorbers.

`Unique modus operandi'

"Such a modus operandi, which might have been in use among drug traffickers in the past as well, has come to notice for the first time. We would notify the international agencies about it," said the official, adding that the seized high quality heroin was possibly smuggled in from Afghanistan via Pakistan. Efforts are on to crack the entire network

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail