Mumbai: Nigerian peddler, who swallowed drugs during NCB trap, purges 12 capsules of cocaine at JJ Hospital

Mumbai: Nigerian peddler, who swallowed drugs during NCB trap, purges 12 capsules of cocaine at JJ Hospital

Pratik SalunkeUpdated: Monday, January 18, 2021, 07:07 PM IST
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Mumbai: Nigerian peddler, who swallowed drugs during NCB trap, purges 12 capsules of cocaine at JJ Hospital | FPJ Correspondent

Mumbai: The Nigerian national who swallowed drugs during a trap laid by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) purged 12 capsules of cocaine at a city hospital.

The case also highlighted a new modus operandi wherein the peddler conceals drugs in his mouth. “This is the first kind of case where a peddler is carrying drugs in his mouth and distributing them,” an NCB official said in a statement on Monday after his discharge.

The NCB last Wednesday nabbed the accused who was later identified as Ifeamyichukwu Pius. “He was roaming around a five-star hotel at Juhu for the delivery of cocaine as per an input received by us. When the NCB team approached the Nigerian national to nab him with contraband, the peddler swallowed the cocaine pellets,” the officials stated.

“The said cocaine was concealed in plastic pellets weighing approximately 1 gram each. The team immediately nabbed the peddler and took him for X-ray and CT Scan at Sir JJ Hospital. The medical examination confirmed the existence of such pallets in his abdominal area. Immediately, he was placed under medical supervision and he subsequently purged 12 capsule/pallets. He was discharged from the hospital on Monday. Further investigation is in progress to identify other associates,” the statement added.

The Free Press Journal had reported about the high drama which unfolded outside the hotel and that the Nigerian national swallowing drugs. “In such circumstances for law enforcement agencies, it becomes very difficult to ascertain involvement of the peddler and make instant recovery. However, NCB Mumbai has developed a network of reliable informers and successfully unearthed a unique modus operandi and seized contraband,” the statement added.

In such cases, the agencies resort to feeding suspected bananas to the empty stomach. Such concealment of drugs in the body is an old method which is usually used by smugglers while flying through airports. However, such concealment can be life threatening. In 2013, the customs had arrested two Tanzanian nationals at the airport with cocaine capsules weighing 1kg each in their stomach. One of them died after a capsule burst in his stomach.

Sources stated that the recent cases have revealed that cocaine has emerged as one of the most sought-after drugs owing to its high demand, especially among the rich. A kilogram of cocaine in the illicit market is valued at ₹5 to ₹6 crore. Even adulterated cocaine is sold anywhere between ₹ 6,000 to ₹10,000 per gram.

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