19 persons including 14 foreigners arrested, drugs worth Rs 7.7 crore seized in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Nov 18 (PTI) As many as 19 persons, including 14 foreign nationals have been arrested in Bengaluru and narcotic substances worth about Rs 7.7 crore were seized from them, police said on Tuesday.

The anti narcotics wing of Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru Police have made these arrests, they added.

Following a series of coordinated raids across various parts of the city, 2.804 kg of banned MDMA crystals and 2.1 kg of hydro-ganja were seized, they said in a statement.

In the first operation carried out in an area under Suddagunte police station jurisdiction, a Nigerian woman was arrested for her alleged involvement in drug peddling.

Police said it seized 760 grams of banned MDMA crystals, valued at approximately Rs 1.52 crore from her, along with a two-wheeler and a mobile phone used for the alleged crime.

The second raid was conducted in the Mahadevapura police station limits, following which, the police claimed, the anti-narcotics wing detained five drug peddlers and seized 600 grams of Hydro Ganja valued at approximately Rs 60 lakh, along with five mobile phones used for drug peddling.

"The accused had rented a house in Mahadevapura area and were systematically engaged in drug peddling as per the instructions of a key absconding drug peddler," police said, in the statement.

In the third operation, according to the statement, a raid was conducted in an area under the Varthur police station limits, following which a Kenyan woman drug peddler was arrested and 2 kg of MDMA crystals worth Rs 4.08 crore, along with mobile phones and an electronic weighing machine used in the crime were seized from her.

"The accused had arrived in India last year on a tourist visa and was working as a hairdresser in Kamanahalli. She was involved in buying illegal drugs from two absconding accused from Nigeria and Tanzania and selling them to known customers for illegal profit," police stated, adding that investigation is underway.

In the fourth operation, carried out on specific inputs, 1.5 kg of Hydro Ganja worth around Rs 1.5 crore was seized from suspicious parcels at the Foreign Post Office in K G Nagar police station limits. The narcotics, smuggled from Thailand and France, had been concealed inside foreign-brand biscuit and chocolate packets, police said, adding that efforts are underway to trace the accused.

In a separate operation, ,11 foreign nationals living illegally in an area under the Hebbagodi police station limits were detained. They were produced before the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Office) for verification and further legal action, it added. PTI AMP ADB