A 45-year-old Nigerian national was arrested in Navi Mumbai, India, for allegedly possessing 116 grams of mephedrone (MD) worth ₹11.6 lakh.

The accused identified as Boniface Emenike, who neither had a valid passport nor a visa was residing at Srikrupa Residency building in sector 2, Taloja, the outskirts of Navi Mumbai, Hindustan Times reported on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

"Acting on a tip-off, we raided the flat of the accused,” said police inspector Basit Ali Sayyed from Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC).

“Emenike initially evaded us, however, later, he was nabbed from within the society. He came to India using a business visa for selling apparel and started peddling drugs. In 2022, the Thane police arrested him in Mumbra in a peddling case. A few months ago, he came out on bail and restarted peddling.”

“Though he claimed to run a clothes business, the police have not found any proof of it, said the officer, adding, “Most of the foreign drug peddlers enter India on a business visa under the pretext of selling clothes.”

As per the police, during Emenike’s interrogation, he revealed that he received the drugs from another Nigerian national, identified as Ogbona Paul who was his roommate in the flat.

"Paul is on the run and we are trying to trace him. As of now, he could escape from the country and we suspect that he is still in the city,” Sayyed said.

“The owner of the flat had followed the protocol while renting out his flat. He had informed the local police about the stay of a foreign national at his flat. We would also be interrogating the owner of the flat to get more information."