Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing on Thursday, January 8, apprehended two foreign national drug peddlers in Tolichowki and seized 150 grams of MDMA worth Rs 20 lakh.
The accused, Chidi Ezeh and Obasi James Victor, hailed from Nigeria and overstayed in India with expired passports and visas.
The main accused, Chidi, procured drugs from Chris, another Nigerian national based in Delhi, and supplied them in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Delhi.
The orders were placed via WhatsApp, and the drugs were delivered personally or through associates.
Chidi had entered India on a medical attendant visa in 2014, and since then has been arrested multiple times under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Additionally, he fraudulently obtained Indian identification documents like Aadhaar, PAN, and a driving license under the alias Nageshwaran.
Chidi was arrested twice in Hyderabad, first in 2019 for possession of cocaine and MDMA, and again in 2024, when he was named as an absconding supplier. He was also booked in a 2019 Goa case.
The second accused, Obasi, came to India on a tourist visa in 2011, initially worked in the cloth export business, and later opened a restaurant.
He is currently married and resides in the same building as Chidi with his family and holds no criminal record.
As no cases are pending against Obasi James Victor, the Narcotics department initiated his deportation process in coordination with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and the Nigerian Embassy. Officials said his continued stay in India could lead to further involvement in illicit drug trafficking.
To facilitate his deportation, necessary procedures have been initiated with the concerned embassy for the issuance of an Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC). With the coordination of FRRO Hyderabad, he will also be blacklisted and barred from re-entering India, as authorities believe his presence poses a potential threat to national security due to the likelihood of repeated involvement in drug peddling.
