The zonal unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) claimed to have busted an inter-State cocaine trafficking network with the arrest of seven accused, including three persons deported from the UAE and two foreign nationals.
It seized a total of 33.1 grams of suspected cocaine as part of the operation. On September 10, 2026, the Kochi unit of the NCB claimed to have intercepted Gurpreet Singh of Kapurthala, Punjab, Hamdan Ahammed of Beypore, Kozhikode, and Aflah P. of Arakkinar, Kozhikode, at Feroke railway station and arrested them with 8.12 grams of suspected cocaine. Preliminary interrogation revealed that the contraband had been procured from Bengaluru, according to a communication.
Another person, Sidharth Damor, who was intercepted while travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode on September 10 was also arrested. His examination led to the arrest of Arun Rajkumar, it said.
Rajkumar, a Tamil Nadu native based in Bengaluru, was reportedly found to be sourcing cocaine from certain foreign nationals and facilitating its supply to other peddlers as well as consumers. The involvement of two foreign nationals in the cocaine trafficking network was also identified, according to a communication.
Accordingly, Chizoba Helen Anthony, a Nigerian national who had entered India on a medical attendant visa and had been overstaying for the past 10 years, and Mufukare Vittalis Tadiswanashe, a Zimbabwean national who had entered India on a student visa and had been overstaying for the past two years, were apprehended in Bengaluru on September 12, 2026, and September 13, 2026, respectively. They were found in possession of 16 grams and 8.98 grams of suspected cocaine, according to the release.
It was later found that Damor, Ahammed, and Aflah had been jailed in the UAE in connection with drug-related offences before being deported to India. During their incarceration, Aflah, Gurpreet, and Sidharth had come into close contact and subsequently attempted to establish a stronger drug trafficking network, the communication said.
Published – September 17, 2026 07:29 pm IST
