3 foreign drug peddlers held

Hyderabad: Two days ahead of New Year celebrations, the police have made a major haul of drugs from three foreign nationals, suspected to be meant for use in the parties that have been lined up at various pubs in Hyderabad.The value of the drugs that have been seized from them is about Rs 50 lakh.

The names of the arrested were: Ajah John Chukwu, Benard Wilson (both from Nigeria) and Mason Lucas (from Ghana). The Commissioner's Task Force, which made the arrests, found that they were in possession of 250 grams of cocaine, 25 grams of heroin.

Apart from the drugs, the police also seized one bike, 10 cellphones, two laptops, one passport, one ID card and one weighing machine, among others. The three accused met at Zahera Nagar on Road No 10, Banjara Hills on Friday. They were waiting to sell the drugs when the commissioner’s task force sleuths swooped on them.

According to Hyderabad Police Commissioner VV Srinivasa Rao, interrogation of the accused had revealed that Nigerians have set up a large drug network in the country, especially in metropolitan cities.

In July 2015, Chukwu came to Hyderabad on a student visa and was used to visiting night pubs regularly and use drugs. In the process, he met one person by name Davis Chris Richard Mueller who is a Kenyan in a pub who used to do drug business.

Chukwu developed friendship with him and started purchasing the drugs from him. Soon Chukwu fell short of money and decided to do the business of drugs himself and earn money for his personal expenditure. In this process, he was arrested in March this year.

The other accused Benard came to India on student visa in June last year. He started a hair setting business in Hyderabad but he did not get anywhere. Later he joined his friend one Charlie in Bandlaguda in Hyderabad who is a national of Sierra Leone.

Soon Benard observed that Charlie was purchasing cocaine from unknown persons at very low price and was selling at a high price to drug addicts in Hyderabad. Later Benard asked Charlie to sell cocaine to him. After that Benard began selling cocaine himself. In this process, Benard was arrested by Golconda police in July this year.

After coming out of jail, Benard came in contact with other accused Chukwu who was also supplying cocaine and heroin drugs in Hyderabad. He informed Benard that one of his friends by name Mason Lucas was supplying cocaine and heroin to him at low price.

He introduced Mason Lucas to Benard. Chukwu and Benard began purchasing cocaine for Rs 3,000 per gram from Mason Lucas and were selling the same for Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000.

On week ago, Chukwu and Benard told Mason Lucas that they have a demand for huge quantity of drugs in Hyderabad in view of New Year celebrations and asked him to supply drug to which Lucas had agreed.