Hyderabad: 2 overstayers from Ivory Coast held with cocaine

Hyderabad: Two overstaying African nationals who are allegedly smuggling drugs from Bengaluru to Hyderabad were arrested by enforcement wing personnel of the excise department on Sunday and 25 gm cocaine seized from them.

After receiving information, a team of enforcement wing apprehended the two persons while they were waiting at Nanalnagar crossroads in Mehdipatnam.

The duo identified as Dohoun Arnold Patrick, 31, and Yaye Abdoulaye 34, hail from Ivory Coast in Africa. They came to India a few years ago and their visas have expired. They were living at Bengaluru and Hyderabad respectively. Arnold had recently come to the city along with the contraband and stayed at Abdoulaye’s flat in Sun City at Bandlaguda. He came to India in 2014 on an education visa which expired in 2016, while Abdoulaye came in 2010 and his visa expired in 2012.

Assistant superintendent, excise enforcement wing, N. Anji Reddy said that a Nigerian living in Bengaluru has been operating the drug trade and had formed a gang. He was sending peddlers to Hyderabad to hand over cocaine to his customers at a price of Rs 6,000 per gram.

“About a week ago, Suleman Ibraheem Hasan was apprehended with six gm of cocaine by the team near Lakdikapul. He is also part of the gang run by the Nigerian national. A hunt is currently on by the team to nab all gang members in the city and at Bengaluru and other places,” said the assistant superintendent, adding that the gang was targetting mostly employees and businessmen.