Foreigners lodged in Puzhal Central Prison orchestrated a synthetic drug network by recruiting local inmates as couriers, a Tiruvallur District Police investigation has revealed. While incarcerated, the foreigners cultivated relationships with local prisoners and deployed them as operatives in the drug supply chain. Upon release, these local accomplices transported narcotics into Tamil Nadu from other States.
A crackdown on synthetic drug trafficking was launched following tip-offs on use of methamphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine among working professionals and college students. A special team to dismantle inter-State and international drug cartels operating across Tamil Nadu was formed. The inter-district team was constituted under the directions of Asra Garg, Inspector-General of Police, North Zone, under the overall operational command of Vivekananda Shukla, Superintendent of Police, Tiruvallur.
The teamâs efforts resulted in the dismantling of a major organised drug cartel that was being controlled by foreign nationals and operating across multiple States. In a press release, the police said the operation began last month when they nabbed Muneer, 28 and Javeed 38, with 55 g of methamphetamine in their possession.
Investigation revealed that one of them frequently travelled to Mumbai and procured synthetic drugs from Dharavi area, where a significant number of Tamil people reside, and supplied them to Bengaluru and Chennai. Subsequent investigation led to the arrest of Michael Nwasah Nnamdi of Nigeria, who lived in Namakkal and was working in the textile industry, and Kafita Yannick Tshimbombo, 36, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who lived in Chennai.
Delhi-based kingpin
The police said certain drug peddlers from the State contacted a kingpin in Delhi, after which payments were routed through bank accounts held by individuals in West Bengal, Nagaland, and Mizoram. The kingpin was identified as Bende, 43, of Senegal. He coordinated the entire supply chain using multiple SIM cards, forged identities through encrypted social media networks, and front businesses âincluding textile shops. He was nabbed at an apartment in Delhi and brought to Tiruvallur.
Multiple mobile phones with extensive data on supply networks across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and several North-Eastern States were seized during the operation. Notably, Bende was also found to be in contact with a foreign national, interned in the Puzhal prison in a narcotics case, actively coordinating drug trafficking activities from within the facility, the police said.
One such recently released inmate, Matheen Ahmed, 31, had established contact with foreign nationals while imprisoned. After his release, he continued to communicate with individuals across Tamil Nadu and acted as the mastermind for the cartel in the State. He frequently coordinated between local operatives and foreign suppliers. Eventually, he was also arrested while in possession of 55 g of methamphetamine. He mainly acted as a regional distributor, collecting bulk quantities from the main cartel and supplying them to local peddlers across Chennai. It was found that they were sending synthetic drugs from Bengaluru to Chennai through bus routes via conductors.
More persons nabbed
The police said the financial investigation of suspicious bank account transactions led to the identification of a few more suspects. One among them, Mohammad Afrath, 22, was found to be operating along the Bengaluru-Chennai route as a drug carrier. He was arrested.
Similarly, Mohammed Abdullah Asha, 28, was found to be in constant touch with foreign-based mobile numbers operating from Bengaluru and was arrested. It was learned that he frequently travelled along the Bengaluru-Chennai route via Andhra Pradesh.
Mr. Shukula said: âWe will continue to dismantle these sophisticated inter-State and international drug cartels through intensive investigation, coordinated field operations, and swift inter-State cooperation. Further investigation is actively on to identify, trace, and secure additional facilitators, including digital handlers, bank account operators, inter-State carriers, foreign operatives, and prison-based coordinators.â
Published â November 30, 2025 12:46 am IST
