In a major drug transport in India, Karnataka police have the largest drug ever, Central Crime Department (CCB) Mangalore City Police arrested two African women and seized 37.87 kg of MDMA, estimated to be worth Rs 75 crore.
While some publications report that the arrested woman was a Nigerian national, the Times of India identified the defendant as Bamba Fanta of Alias Adonis Jabulile, Agboville, South Africa, currently living in Nawada, New Delhi, New Delhi and Abigail Adonis Adonis and Alias Olias Olias Olias Olijo Evans, 30, of Pretiria, New nrifa, Newna, currently living in Vipin Garden, New Delhi and Abigail Adonis Adonis.
City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal told reporters on Sunday, March 16, 2025 that the operation was part of a six-month investigation that resulted in the arrest of Peter Ikedi Belonwu, a Nigerian national who was said to be a member of the drug offender and distribution group.
According to police, Fanta arrived in India on a business visa in 2020 and operated a food cart, while Adonis came on a medical visa in 2016 to engage in the clothing business.
Agrawal added that the police seized two trolley bags, two passports, Rs 18,460 in cash and other charges of other women.
The defendant allegedly transported MDMA from Delhi in crystal form and transported MDMA from Delhi to Bangalore from flight for large-scale distribution. They were arrested near Neeladri Nagar near the electronic city of Bengaluru.
The operation is part of a six-month investigation conducted by CCB ACP Manoj Kumar, which arrested a man named Hyder Ali at Mangaluru East Police in Pumpwell, where he caught 15 grams of MDMA.
The CCB then took over the investigation and traced the supply chain back to Bengaluru, resulting in the arrest of the Nigerian country Peter Ikedi Belonwu from which he recovered 6.248 kilograms of MDMA.
Further investigations show that South African women smuggled MDMA through air routes from Delhi to Bangalore, prompting people to keep track of it.
On March 13, based on specific intelligence, the CCB team rushed to Bangalore and began monitoring the movement of the two defendant women.
After arriving at the airport the next day, they were monitored and then conducted for five to six hours to track other members of the network.
They were eventually arrested on March 14 in Neeladri Nagar, Bangalore.
Preliminary investigations show that the two have provided MDMA to Nigerian nationals and others, providing a luxury lifestyle in Neramangala, Hosakot and KR Puram.
Police also found that they were using fake passports and visas and would return to Delhi within 24 hours of delivery.
The Commissioner said the source of MDMA, whether purchased domestically or trafficked from outside India, is still under investigation.
The Commissioner further revealed that the two have traveled 59 times between Delhi and Bangalore in the past six months.
They reportedly admitted to being involved in drug trafficking for more than 1.5 years.
Given the size of the drug bust and the interstate network involved, the city police will coordinate with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to further explore the case.
Commissioner Anupam Agrawal also said he would recommend the team to the Home Minister to provide appropriate rewards and propose efforts to the Chief Minister’s medal.
DCPS Sidharth Goyal and K Ravishankar, ACP Manoj Kumar and CCB staff attended during the briefing.
The case is still under investigation and authorities are working to reveal the entire network behind smuggling and distribution in Karnataka MDMA.
Karnataka: Mangaluru City has caught 37.87 kg of MDMA in the historic drug bust, the largest number ever seen in Karnataka history. The operation led to the arrest of two African women involved in the international drug group. The value of the seized drug is Rs 750 crore pic.twitter.com/wpsrnjr6jt
– IANS (@ians_india) March 16, 2025
