Indian security agencies have arrested no fewer than 50 Nigerians in one of the country’s biggest coordinated crackdowns on a transnational drug and money-laundering cartel. According to a report from NDTV, the Delhi Police—supported by units from Telangana, Noida, Vizag and Gwalior—carried out days of simultaneous raids following months of surveillance. The syndicate allegedly used encrypted communication and app-style delivery methods that mimicked food-delivery platforms, enabling couriers to execute “dead drops” and evade detection. Investigators said, “The network was extremely sophisticated.
They used layered communication channels and app-based delivery patterns to evade law enforcement.” Officials also linked the cartel to a sex-trade ring and uncovered a hawala route used to launder proceeds by exporting goods like garments and human hair to Lagos, with one suspected kingpin believed to have moved at least ₹15 crore through these channels.