Nigerian woman arraigned for drug trafficking in India

A 37-year-old Nigerian woman, Margret Ene Mgbudom, was arraigned before a Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Navsari, India, for drug trafficking.

Mgbudom was arrested by Gujarat’s State Monitoring Cell (SMC) after she was caught with 149.51 grams of imported cocaine and had been in their custody for a week.

The Indian Express, an India-based news publication, reported that she was arrested following a tip-off by the police and searched in her car during a surveillance drive on the highway.

The SMC Police Inspector, V.C. Jadeja, disclosed that she confessed the illicit substance belonged to a person named “Elder” in Nigeria.

“After primary interrogation, she disclosed that the drug is owned by a person named Elder in Nigeria. She got the drug from one Emmanuel of Mumbai to get it delivered to a person in Surat. She hired a car from Mumbai and was on her way to Surat,” he said.

The police inspector told the newspaper that he suspected an international drug cartel active in India, which is being operated from Nigeria.

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He added that there is a possibility the cocaine came from Nigeria through drug peddlers who use members of the Indian cartel to identify potential buyers.

During investigations and interrogations, her passport was scrutinized, and it was discovered that she had made about 10 trips or more from Mumbai to Surat to deliver drugs over the last few years.

Jadeja vowed to expose other members of the illegal drug trade.

He said, “She (Mgbudom) had made around 10 to 12 trips from Mumbai to Surat to deliver drugs over the last few years. Once the transporter carrying drugs reaches Surat, she gets a location from cartel member Emmanuel (of Nigerian origin), who is based in Mumbai.

“We have checked her passport and found that she made multiple visits to India in 2021, 2022, and 2024. We will dig out other members of the drug cartel who are active in India.”