Bengaluru, India – A 25-year-old Nigerian woman, Ifeoluwa Akinwunmi, is facing the possibility of a 20-year prison sentence in India after being arrested for allegedly trafficking drugs valued at over ₦1.8 billion.
Akinwunmi, reportedly a hairstylist and nail artist, was arrested last Tuesday by operatives of the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru. Her arrest occurred at Tarahunase village, along Rajanukunte Main Road, after she arrived from Delhi with a suspicious bag.
According to The New Indian Express, cited by PUNCH Metro, officers found 5.325 kilograms of MDMA crystals, a banned synthetic party drug, concealed among 11 new churidars, a traditional Indian outfit.
“She is a courier. She had come to hand over the drugs to a group of African peddlers. We noticed four men on two scooters in the area, but they did not collect the parcel. Akinwunmi was arrested while standing with the bag,” a police officer involved in the operation stated.
The suspect, who claimed she traveled to India to open a beauty salon, now faces serious charges under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985, and the Foreigners Act of 1946.
Under Section 23 of the NDPS Act, individuals found importing or trafficking commercial quantities of banned substances face a minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, in addition to hefty fines of up to ₹2 lakh (approximately ₦3.5 million).
The relevant section states:
“Where the contravention involves commercial quantity, [the offender shall be punished] with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend to twenty years and shall also be liable to a fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to two lakh rupees.”
Akinwunmi’s arrest comes shortly after another Nigerian national, Emmanuel Bediako, also known as Maxwell, was apprehended by the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau for alleged drug trafficking.
Both cases highlight growing concerns over the involvement of foreign nationals in India’s expanding narcotics trade, prompting calls for stricter immigration and anti-drug enforcement policies.
