Nigerian cartels skirt arrest, use Sudanese as drug mules

Hyderabad: Bolstered by drug money and rising clientele, Nigerian narcotics traffickers in the city are increasingly outsourcing the risky job of transport and delivery of consignments to lesser-privileged African nationals, particularly those from Sudan. The incentives are meagre, depending on type, quantity and success in delivery, said police, who recently led a decoy operation to bust a gang in Bengaluru.A 28-year-old Sudanese woman’s arrest on Thursday with 14gm of MDMA unearthed dark underbelly of Nigerian drug trade and their tactics of using Sudanese as mules.The woman, Zargoun Salaheldin Aburai Elhassan alias Byiju, was nabbed at Kachiguda railway station with a consignment. Currently residing in Bengaluru on a student visa, Byiju told Telangana anti-narcotics bureau sleuths that her Nigerian handler asked her to deliver the drugs in Hyderabad. Her accomplice, Arfad, who works as a driver in Bengaluru, was also arrested.“This is a new trend, where Nigerians are employing poor Sudanese nationals to do their dirty jobs and avoid arrest. Now, Nigerian drug peddlers are financially strong and focussing on expanding and organising their business, instead of being delivery boys,” a Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TSNAB) officer told TOI.“The highest commission offered is for successful delivery of cocaine and the money ranges between 1,000 and 2,000 per gm. For other drugs, the cut money is less,” said police after interrogating Byiju.Another Sudanese national Mohammed Yagoub Mohammed was nabbed in November last year by Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing for trying to peddle MDMA. He too came from Bengaluru.Investigators are, however, finding it difficult to deal with African drug peddlers as their seized passports don’t ascertain their true nationality. In several instances, embassies deny the accused are their nationals after hearing their dialect. “Some Nigerians manage to bag passports from neighbouring countries, including Ivory Coast and Ghana, and use it to come to India. Most of them impersonate other African nationals and deportation becomes difficult,” police said.