Hyderabad police nabs most wanted Nigerian drug-peddler

Hyderabad: Chukwu Ogbonna David could have been any other Nigerian national making a living in India trading in garments and wigs. However, he got a sniff of drug money, and over the last nine years, built a network of cocaine peddlers across metro cities in India and becoming notorious as ‘Tony’, and a permanent fixture […]

Hyderabad: Chukwu Ogbonna David could have been any other Nigerian national making a living in India trading in garments and wigs. However, he got a sniff of drug money, and over the last nine years, built a network of cocaine peddlers across metro cities in India and becoming notorious as ‘Tony’, and a permanent fixture on the wanted lists of cops across the country.

On Thursday, the Hyderabad City Police finally nabbed Tony, who had managed to stay elusive all these years. The Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force team had busted a drug racket allegedly operated by Tony and seized 10 grams of cocaine and 11 mobile phones. Seven persons, allegedly consumers, were also nabbed.

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City Police Commissioner CV Anand, announcing the arrest of the gang, said Tony, also known as Tony Abia Marsha, 37, said the Nigerian was presently staying in Andheri East in Mumbai. “Tony was getting the drug from one person identified as ‘Star Boy,’ also an African, who sends drug consignments through containers in ships to Mumbai,” he said.

The seven others who were arrested were businessmen and realtors, identified as Niranjan Kumar Jain, Shashwat Jain, Yagyanand Agarwal, Dhandul Surya Sumanth Reddy, Bandi Bhargav, Venkat Chalsani and Thamminedi Sagar.

“Niranjan and Sagar took the SIM cards of their office boys Srikanth and Subba Rao to speak to Tony. Hence the office boys were also booked,” Anand said, adding that the police were also probing if the seven persons were supplying drugs to others.

The police also found Tony established a network of agents in different places including Mumbai, Goa and Hyderabad and after accepting online payments, supplied the drug. “Tony carried out his activity mostly in South Indian States. We are also probing if the consumers were hosting parties and using the drug,” the CP said.

The main supplier Star Boy, according to the police, used only WhatsApp or VOIP network to contact his agents. “He does not meet anyone nor does he interact through direct phone calls. We suspect he is operating from some African country and through his network supplies the drug in containers shipped to India,” Anand said, adding that the City Police would be writing to the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs seeking help in contacting the Nigerian government to nab Star Boy. Photo: Surya Sridhar

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