Two Nigerians arrested with cocaine in Punjab

MOHALI - Two Nigerian youths were arrested here with 212 grams of cocaine worth Rs.30 million (Rs.3 crore) in the international market, officials said Saturday.

The duo, identified as Money Alexander alias Ben Daniel Alex and Ndidi Evans Peter, was nabbed by officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Mohali, around 10 km from state capital Chandigarh, and booked under Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

“Following a tip-off, we arrested the duo after raiding a house, where they were staying as tenants for the past many months,” a DRI official said here.

He said that they had received intelligence inputs that a parcel containing the contraband had reached Italy from India through a courier company last month.

The parcel contained 310 grams of heroin, worth Rs.20 million, hidden in a hydraulic door spring.

“During investigation, we found that the parcel was sent from Chandigarh. We traced the address of the senders and the two Nigerian youths, in their early thirties, were arrested Feb 2,” the official said.

“During the raid, we recovered 212 gram cocaine, again concealed in a hydraulic door spring. They were planning to send it abroad through courier,” he added.

The DRI officials also recovered dismantled hydraulic door springs and packaging material during the raid.

Punjab police had earlier arrested Alexander with contraband in July last year but he was released on bail in September.