Nigerian man arrested as India's narcotic control bureau busts international drug cartel using darknet and cryptocurrencies

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Nigerian man arrested as India's narcotic control bureau busts international drug cartel using darknet and cryptocurrencies

The India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted an international drug cartel using darknet and cryptocurrencies and arrested a Nigerian national, John Sunday.

The Nigerian was arrested from Nallasopara near Mumbai on Monday, June 26, 2023 for importing the banned narcotic drug MDMA from The Netherlands using the darknet and for possessing a fake Indian passport.

In the crackdown, the NCB seized nearly 2,000 tablets weighing 996 gms of the banned 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) drug from a parcel consignment from Mumbai’s Foreign Post Office (FPO), which was ordered by the arrested Nigerian citizen.

An operation was launched after an alert by the FPO, Mumbai, on June 20, about the contents of a parcel containing nearly 2,000 pink, yellow and green coloured tablets. When checked, they were found to be MDMA tablets. The parcel was later seized by the NCB.

Following the seizure, an investigation was launched to trace the addressee of the consignment.

On June 26, the addressee, a Nigerian citizen - John Sunday - was identified by the NCB in Nallasopara.

Following the identification, a team of NCB officers laid a trap and arrested Sunday from his home in Nallasopara.

A fake Indian passport was also recovered during the search.

During interrogation, Sunday confessed to the procurement of MDMA for further distribution in Delhi, Mumbai, Goa and other cities of India.

He also revealed that the plan to procure MDMA in small quantities was schemed by him to escape the NCB's radar.

Sunday told the NCB that the seized MDMA drug was procured to be distributed among the illicit drug circuit before the onset of the festive season.

Highlighting the use of the fake Indian passport, Sunday claimed that the passport was deliberately forged by him to import drugs from foreign nations. He also revealed that the seized MDMA drug was procured from a darknet-based illegal drug market and payments were made through cryptocurrency.

Speaking to the press about the arrest of John Sunday, NCB officials said that Sunday was in contact with a few of his associates and handlers based in foreign countries.

It was also learnt that John Sunday was also booked previously by NCB, Mumbai in 2021 and was presently out on bail, officials added.

Informing about the probe, officials claimed that his local associates with pan-India linkages are also being investigated by the NCB.