Authorities in India have arrested no fewer than 50 Nigerians in a major crackdown on drug syndicates across the Asian country.

According to India’s news platform, NDTV.com, the Delhi Crime Branch, in coordination with multiple state police forces, dismantled a transnational drug and hawala syndicate operating across India, resulting in the arrest of the 50 Nigerian nationals.

The operation involved extensive intelligence gathering over several months and included collaboration with the Telangana Police Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE), as well as police units from Noida, Vizag, and Gwalior.

Officials said the scale of the operation was significant, with 120 personnel from Telangana deployed to Delhi in two dedicated railway bogies, remaining in the city for several weeks to assist with surveillance and raids. The network, which spanned Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa, and Kerala, supplied synthetic drugs including Methamphetamine and Cocaine.

Investigators reported that around 2,000 individuals were supplied drugs through courier and dead-drop methods, with encrypted communication channels and systems designed to mimic food delivery apps to evade detection.

Authorities also revealed that the sex trade was used to cover the distribution of narcotics, further extending the syndicate’s operations.

Financial investigations indicated that the network laundered proceeds through local hawala operators, converting Indian Rupees into goods such as garments and human hair, which were shipped to Lagos, Nigeria.

Police sources estimate that the kingpin laundered approximately Rs 15 crore using these channels.

This is not the first time Nigerians have been arrested in India for drugs this year.

Earlier in 2025, police in Bengaluru’s rural districts arrested three Nigerians after seizing MDMA concealed in clothing boxes — the haul was reported as worth several crore rupees.

Another arrest in Bengaluru involved a Nigerian national caught with narcotics valued at over Rs 1.2 crore, allegedly linked to an international trafficking network.