Nigerian drug racket, cartel’s supply chain to India busted

A joint EAGLE Force and Goa Police operation busted a Nigerian drug cartel operating across India and Europe. Drugs worth Rs 4.5 crore were seized, seven Nigerians arrested, and a sophisticated hawala-based money laundering network uncovered, with further investigations underway

Hyderabad: A major international drug racket operated by Nigerian cartels with links in Europe and India has been busted, exposing a wide supply and hawala network spanning multiple states.

The joint operation by EAGLE Force and Goa Police led to the arrest of several suspects, seizure of narcotics worth crores and the unearthing of a sophisticated money laundering mechanism.

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According to EAGLE team officials, drugs including cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, LSD, and MDMA were smuggled into Mumbai and Pune through courier services. From there, they were transported to Goa and Hyderabad via local carriers.

Investigators traced 33 drug-laden parcels linked to this network until now during the searches conducted.

In the recent multi-state crackdown, narcotics worth Rs 4.5 crore were seized and seven Nigerians were arrested. Over 150 bank transactions were traced to Nigerian accounts belonging to cartel members and their relatives. Several individuals were caught supplying drugs in Hyderabad and Goa, including Stanley, Sourab, Livio, and Vansh Thakkar.

Similarly, raids in Mumbai led to the arrest of Chetan Marmaria and Gangan Mal, while a search at Bharath Kumar Chagan Lal and Company uncovered Rs 2.85 crore hawala money in a single day’s collection. Investigations further revealed that hawala operators like Uttam Singh collected drug money from Nigerians in Goa and funneled it into Mumbai-based firms.

“The money was then laundered by converting it into goods such as garments and groceries, which were shipped in containers to Nigeria,” officials said, adding that they estimate that goods worth Rs 3 crore per container were used to mask the laundering.

The weekly hawala turnover in Goa alone was pegged at Rs 21.7 crore, with around Rs 1.3 crore linked directly to Chaganlal and Co.

Authorities identified its proprietors – Chetan Mamamia, Chaganlal, and Durga Ram as the key players in laundering cartel funds.

Officials said the racket not only pushed narcotics into India but also routed Indian drug proceeds back to Nigeria, fueling cartel operations in Europe and Latin America. Further investigations and international coordination are in progress.