India arrests Nigerian, Venezuelan with N415.86m cocaine

A Nigerian is currently assisting India’s Narcotics Control Bureau with its investigation after he was nabbed with cocaine worth Rs 7.5 crore (about N415,864,530.00).

Thirty-nine years old Okoro Uka was arrested alongside a Venezuelan woman, Brigette D V R Santoyo, 36, with authorities alleging the two were part of an international drugs racket.

According to The Tribune, the duo were apprehended in a hotel in the Mahipalpur area of Delhi when they were allegedly exchanging the drugs.


Santoyo had allegedly brought along the drugs cache along with her from a foreign trip.

The two have been arrested under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act by the Delhi zonal unit of the NCB, officials said.

Reports from the Asian country said Santoyo had arrived in India from Addis Ababa on Tuesday and had allegedly set up a meeting with the Nigerian man at the hotel to hand over the drugs.

“On November 20, our team received a tip-off that at around 3 pm, a Venezuelan lady, who is suspected to be carrying cocaine has booked a hotel room in Mahipalpur. The Venezuelan woman revealed that she arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport from Addis Ababa on Monday. She first entered Brazil from Venezuela on September 9 via road and travelled from Sao Paolo to Addis Ababa by an Ethiopian flight on November 19,” India’s Daily Pioneer said.

“The accused Venezuelan disclosed that she was handed over the trolley bag in Sao Paolo at a bus stand by a Nigerian national. She was being handled by one Emanuel, believed to be a Nigerian national, staying in Brazil.”

According to the paper, after a sustained interrogation of the Nigerian, he confessed that he came to Delhi from Mumbai and had been staying at the same hotel as that of the Venezuelan woman since Sunday.

He further revealed that he often comes to India and it was his 12th visit.