Indian security agencies have arrested at least four Nigerians in separate anti-narcotics operations carried out across different cities between Thursday and late Saturday, as authorities intensify the crackdown on cross-border drug trafficking.
Findings from Indian media reports indicated that the arrests were made in coordinated operations spanning Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
The suspects were identified as Tanguy Nguessan, Touchi, Henry and IK Prince.
In one of the operations, operatives of the Tulinj Police Detection Team, working with the Anti-Terrorism Cell, arrested Nguessan in Pragati Nagar, Nalasopara East, following intelligence that a drug suspect was expected in the area.
A search reportedly yielded 60 grams of cocaine with an estimated street value of about ₹12.6 million.
He was taken into custody as investigators moved to trace members of his supply chain.
Elsewhere, the Jaipur Police Commissionerate arrested two Nigerians, Touchi and Henry, over alleged involvement in the distribution of MD drugs in Rajasthan.
The arrests followed earlier raids in Jaipur’s Transport Nagar, where three other suspects were found with narcotics worth about ₹550,000.
Investigators said information obtained during interrogation led to the arrest of Touchi in Faridabad, Haryana, and Henry in Delhi.
Police disclosed that both suspects were residing in India without valid documentation, with expired visas, and were allegedly using forged papers to evade detection.
A list containing names of suspected drug dealers operating across Jaipur and other parts of Rajasthan was also reportedly recovered.
In a separate development, operatives of the Anti-Narcotics Task Force arrested another Nigerian, IK Prince, described by authorities as a key figure in a heroin trafficking ring.
Prince was apprehended in Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar area after weeks of surveillance and later transferred to Mathura, where a court ordered his remand.
Investigators said Prince was living in India without a valid passport or visa and was linked to a heroin case uncovered in October, when two suspects were arrested in Mathura with over one kilogram of the drug.
Police further reported that 1.8 kilograms of heroin, valued at between ₹6 and ₹8 crore, was recovered from him.
Indian authorities said the Nigerian Embassy had been notified of the arrests, while efforts were ongoing to dismantle the wider network connected to the operations.
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force also confirmed the arrest of two other suspects in Gorakhpur, with the recovery of additional quantities of heroin, pointing to what officials described as an expanding interstate drug ring.
The arrests come amid heightened scrutiny of Nigerians living abroad, following recent reports of mass detentions of Nigerian nationals in other countries over alleged involvement in criminal activities.