Nigerians arrested in India as police bust a cartel tied to drugs and hawala laundering, exposing global links with Europe and Nigeria

Nigerians arrested in India have once again made headlines after seven suspects were picked up in a major crackdown on an international drug cartel with deep financial networks across India, Europe, and Nigeria.

Also read: Nigerian man arrested in India for Rs 5.5 Lakh romance scam

According to Telangana Today, the arrests were made on Tuesday in a joint operation involving the Eagle Force and Goa Police.

Investigators revealed that the cartel smuggled cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, LSD, and MDMA into Mumbai and Pune using courier services before moving them to Goa and Hyderabad through local carriers.

Police said the operation uncovered a sophisticated hawala-based money laundering network and led to the seizure of drugs worth more than Rs 4.5 crore.

So far, 33 parcels linked to the cartel have been traced, alongside more than 150 bank transactions tied to Nigerian accounts of cartel members and their relatives.

Raids in Mumbai also led to the discovery of Rs 2.85 crore in hawala funds in just one day, with police confirming that middlemen collected drug money from Nigerians in Goa and transferred it to Mumbai-based firms.

The cash was then laundered by converting it into goods such as garments and groceries, later shipped in containers to Nigeria. Officials estimated each container carried goods valued at about Rs 3 crore.

The cartel’s operations extended beyond India, with proceeds allegedly funding networks in Europe and Latin America. Several other suspects linked to local supply chains in Hyderabad and Goa were also arrested.

The arrests come just days after two other Nigerians were detained in separate cases involving romance scams and drug-related offences in India.

Authorities have noted that the frequent arrests of Nigerians abroad raise serious concerns, especially in light of recent hostilities against Nigerians in Ghana and other African nations.

Globally, the picture is grim. In the past year, Nigerians have faced arrests in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Ghana.

Earlier this year, more than 50 Nigerians were rounded up in Ghana in a cybercrime raid, reinforcing growing worries about international criminal networks.

Also read: India sentences man to death for killing wife over skin colour

While the identities of the suspects arrested in India have not yet been disclosed, officials said investigations are ongoing to dismantle the cartel’s broader network and financial roots.