Five, including Nigerian nationals, held in Hyderabad drug bust

Based on a tip off TGANB team raided a premises and arrested five persons in possession of drugs. File | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

The Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) and Golconda police arrested five drug peddlers, including two Nigerian nationals, and seized cocaine, ecstasy pills, and MDMA on Friday (June 13).

The raid at a residence in Vinayak Nagar, Shaikpet, yielded 20 grams of cocaine, 45 grams of MDMA, 20 grams of ecstasy pills, ₹40,000 in cash and six mobile phones, Director of TGANB Sandeep Shandilya said.

The arrested have been identified as 38-yearr-old Okoro Cosmos Ramsey and 44-year-old Chimezie Boniface Adikea, both Nigerian nationals residing in Hyderabad, 29-year-old Veerapalli Lakshmipathi, a native of Nalgonda, 40-year-old Romi Bharat Kalyani, from Goa and 26-year-old Abdul Jafar Khan alias Sharukh, of Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka.

“All five had earlier served time in Chanchalguda Central Prison, where they met and forged links in a shared barrack. Upon their release, they resumed drug trafficking by leveraging contacts across Mumbai, Goa and Bengaluru,” said the officer.

He further explained that Cosmos and Adikea sourced cocaine and MDMA from a supplier named James in Mumbai and sold it to peddlers, including Lakshmipathi. “Lakshmipathi, meanwhile, maintained ties with a broad network of dealers operating in Goa, Bengaluru, and Secunderabad, procuring various synthetic and chemical drugs such as OG weed, cocaine and MDMA,” Mr Shandilya added.

The crackdown followed a tip-off that Lakshmipathi was headed to Cosmos’s residence to collect cocaine and MDMA. Romi, who had travelled from Bengaluru with ecstasy pills and Jafar Khan, who also supplied drugs, were present when the police raided the premises.

All five are reportedly part of a distribution chain catering to more than 25 consumers in Hyderabad. Notably, several of the accused are repeat offenders, with Cosmos linked to three NDPS Act cases, Lakshmipathi to eight, Romi to three, and both Jafar Khan and Adikea to two cases each.

The authorities have urged the public to report drug-related activities through the helpline 1908 or via email at [email protected]. Informant details, they assured, will remain confidential and credible leads will be rewarded.

Published - June 13, 2025 08:01 pm IST