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Dope Link: India trapped in African drug net
Published on Fri, Mar 07, 2008 at 08:35, Updated on Fri, Mar 07, 2008 at 09:44 in Nation section
Tags: Special Investigation, Drug Abuse , New Delhi
COCAINE CONNECTION: Sulemaan (in cap) and Vicky admit to selling cocaine that comes in from west African nations.
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New Delhi: The latest report of the International Narcotics Control Board claims a sharp increase in drugs smuggling from across the border.
It’s also been revealed that West African traffickers are increasingly becoming the primary carriers and distributors of these drugs in India.
From teenagers to men on the street and allegedly even celebrities, African drug peddlers are stepping up the supply to meet the ever-increasing demand for cocaine.
A Cobrapost-CNN-IBN investigation met Sulemaan and Vicky, both "veteran" drug peddlers, who make a fortune selling cocaine.
"Have the money ready, okay. We will deliver. Maybe not here, we will tell you where to pick up the drugs. Rs 3,000 for one gram. Pure,” Vicky told the team.
Police too admit to the existence of the drug ring. Says DCP (Narcotics Cell), Delhi Police, AS Cheema, "Well, we would not like to do any nation bashing, but a lot of people of African origin have been arrested for drug abuse and trafficking."
Drug peddlers deal mainly in cocaine from South America from where the drug reaches India via transit points in Africa.
This was confirmed by Vicky, who regularly peddles South American cocaine.
When asked where he sourced the “really good stuff” from, he said, “From very far. Peru, Brazil and so on. It’s all pure stuff I'm giving you.”
Selling between Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,000 per gram in India, cocaine is giving drug high returns to peddlers and a headache to authorities. "Heroine is now occupying slots in lower segments and cocaine abuse has gone to the upper segments more recently and that is what we are concentrating on," says Cheema.
In 2006, four Nigerians were arrested for possession of cocaine in Delhi. They were:
- Bernard Okchi: Arrested with 15 gm
- Francis: Arrested with 30 gm
- Michael Ofori: Arrested with 41 gm
- Albert Mushaba: Arrested with 22 gm
Of the 173 gm cocaine recovered in 2006, 108 gms – nearly two-thirds – was from African peddlers.
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