A total of 106 Nigerian citizens were arrested in India last year for drug trafficking offences, according to a new report released by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The data, published during India’s 2nd National Conference of Heads of Anti-Narcotics Task Forces, revealed that Nigerians were the second-highest group of foreigners arrested, after Nepalese nationals.
The annual report showed that 660 foreign nationals were apprehended for drug crimes. Nepalese topped the list with 203 arrests, followed by Nigerians (106) and Myanmarese citizens (25). Other foreign nationals arrested include 18 Bangladeshis, 14 Ivorians, 13 Ghanaians, and 10 Icelanders.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who presented the report, emphasized India’s growing struggle with narcotics due to its location between the “Death Crescent” — Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran — and the “Death Triangle” — Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos, which are global drug hubs.
The report further revealed the increasing use of drones in trafficking drugs. Punjab recorded 163 drone-related drug smuggling cases with 187.149 kg of heroin, 5.39 kg of methamphetamine, and 4.22 kg of opium seized. Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir also reported multiple cases.
Shah stressed that the Narendra Modi administration is committed to ending drug cartels. He urged collaboration with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to extradite drug lords operating abroad.
“Now, every state has to develop a high-level strategy targeting all three types of cartels,” Shah said, highlighting the need for advanced technology such as darknet analysis, cryptocurrency tracking, and machine learning to dismantle networks.
okay.ng reports that the NCB’s Director General, Anurag Garg, also identified India’s coastal routes such as Mumbai, Gujarat, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu as new hotspots for synthetic drug smuggling.
