6.8 kg of the chemical seized, 2 Nigerians among 4 arrested
BENGALURU:
Sleuths of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) recently busted an international drug syndicate involved in trafficking pseudoephedrine with the arrest of four persons, including two Nigerian nationals.
Acting on a tip-off, the Bengaluru zonal unit of the NCB seized 6.870 kg of the chemical from Amritahalli in the city on November 11. The pseudoephdrine was concealed in mini parcels, and preliminary investigations revealed that the parcels were addressed to two different consignees in South Africa.
Following continued surveillance, city-based consignors D Shukla and G Maria were apprehended, followed by the arrests of city-based Nigerian nationals B Onovo and C Okwor.
The seizure and arrests were due to the investigative efforts of Amit Ghawate (NCB zonal director, Bengaluru) and other NCB-Bengaluru officers.
According to the agency, chemicals like ephedrine and pseudoephedrine have a legitimate use as intermediaries for manufacturing detergents, perfumes, dyes, etc. However, they can also be used for the manufacture of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS).
In the past, the NCB has seized consignments of such chemicals meant for South East Asian destinations. Of late, these chemicals are being illegally exported to African destinations, especially South Africa, where they are likely used in the clandestine production of ATS.
