Maharashtra: Banned drug worth Rs 11.50 lakh seized, two Nigerians held

The police are trying to ascertain the source of the drug and to whom it was meant to be sold.

May 28, 2022 09:43 am | Updated 09:43 am IST - Palghar

Representative image

Representative image

Police have arrested two Nigerian nationals from Nalasopara in Maharashtra's Palghar district for allegedly possessing mephedrone, a banned drug, worth Rs 11.50 lakh, an official said on Saturday.

The Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police arrested the duo on May 27, he said.

An offence was registered against the two accused - Austin Omaka (45) and his accomplice Joseph Emmanual (36) - under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Tulinj police station, MBVV police spokesperson Balram Palkar said, adding the both of them hail from Lagos city of Nigeria.

"Acting on a tip-off, a police team laid a trap and first nabbed Omaka, from whose possession 60 grams of mephedrone worth ₹6 lakh was recovered. Later, his associate Emmanual was held and 55 grams of the drug valued at ₹5.50 lakh, was seized from him," he said.

The seized drug weighed 115 grams and is collectively worth ₹11.50 lakh, police said.

The police are trying to ascertain the source of the drug and to whom it was meant to be sold.

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