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The state task force (STF) of EAGLE force of Telangana has apprehended two African women nationals allegedly linked to a Nigerian drug cartel operating out of Mumbai, in connection with the supply of cocaine and MDMA to peddlers in Hyderabad.
The arrests followed further investigation by Masab Tank police into the earlier arrest of Nitin Singhania and Shranik Singhvi, from whom cocaine and MDMA were seized.
Police said the investigation revealed that the contraband had been procured two women who transported the drugs from Mumbai to Hyderabad.
The apprehended women have been identified as Cathy Hanchabila, 28, a resident of Borivali in Mumbai and a native of Malawi, and Ellena Kasakatira, 48, also residing in Borivali and a native of Senegal.
According to investigators, the two were working as carriers for a Nigerian drug cartel based in Nalasopara, Mumbai.
Police said the EAGLE Force tracked the movement of the women after they left for Mumbai and apprehended them. As the drugs had already been delivered to the Hyderabad-based accused before their interception, police said legal procedures were being initiated, including movement restriction orders and deportation proceedings, as per law.
During the investigation, police found that the two women had attended a large gathering at Kalamb Beach in Nalasopara last Sunday, held between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., which was attended by around 200 to 300 people, most of them African nationals. At the gathering, they allegedly came into contact with Emeka, a Nigerian drug peddler, to whom they spoke about their financial difficulties.
Police said that two days later, Emeka contacted them and instructed them to deliver a parcel in Hyderabad. On December 17, before boarding a bus, the women were allegedly handed over a parcel containing drugs. They travelled from Mumbai to Hyderabad in a Dolphin bus and delivered the contraband to the accused.
Further investigation is under way to identify other persons involved in the drug network, police said.
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