Michael Nnamdi
Kafita Yannick Tshimbombo
The Tiruvallur District Police have uncovered a major organised synthetic drug cartel, operating across multiple States, which has led to the arrest of several domestic and foreign nationals involved in trafficking methamphetamine and other narcotics.
On October 14, acting on confidential information, two persons — Muneer, 28, and Javeed, 38, — were held with 55 grams of methamphetamine, which is a commercial quantity. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was registered at the Manavalanagar Police Station. Investigation revealed that one of them frequently travelled to Mumbai to procure drugs and later supplied them in Bengaluru and Chennai. Further investigation revealed the existence of an inter-State drug cartel controlled by foreign nationals residing in Tamil Nadu and other States.
Following these leads, on October 23, the police secured another suspect D. Sibiraj, 22, running a dance studio in Chennai and seized 54 grams of methamphetamine from his possession. He was a prominent Instagram influencer.
Immediately, a special team was formed comprising three police inspectors, five sub-inspectors from Ranipet, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai districts and 15 other police personnel, to unravel the inter-State links.
Cartel’s kingpin
Inspector-General of Police, North, Asra Garg, said investigation into the modus operandi in these cases revealed that the cartel’s kingpin, a foreign national residing in Delhi, conducted his operations exclusively through internet-based applications. Customers contacted him over WhatsApp and deposited money into specific bank accounts, often belonging to individuals in West Bengal, Nagaland and Mizoram.
After payment, the accused would share GPS coordinates in urban centres including Chennai and Bengaluru, where his agents had concealed the contraband for pickup by the buyers, Mr. Garg added.
Further investigation led to the identification of several persons from Tamil Nadu who had transferred money to these accounts. Around 10 such individuals were found in possession of narcotics, including methamphetamine, ganja, and cocaine, and were subsequently arrested.
Two of them were foreign nationals — Michael Nnamdi, 43, a Nigerian national who was residing in Namakkal; and Kafita Yannick Tshimbo, 36, native of DR Congo.
Surveillance in Delhi
To secure the main kingpin of this cartel, the special police team proceeded to Delhi, where they conducted extensive surveillance for nearly 10 days. Several suspected hideouts of foreign nationals in Delhi and Noida were verified, eventually leading to an apartment identified as the hideout of the kingpin.
With the assistance of the Delhi Police, a raid was conducted, and the kingpin, namely Bende Wagne, 43, a native of Senegal, was arrested with multiple mobile phones containing extensive data relating to drug supply networks in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, andsome north-eastern States.
Wide network
Investigation revealed that Wagne sourced the contraband from border regions of north-eastern States and supplied it to urban centres such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai. The network operated using multiple SIM cards, duplicate identities, and frontline businesses, including textile shops, to mask illicit transactions. On Thursday, Wagne was brought to Tiruvallur for further interrogation.
It has also been revealed that a few foreign nationals from African countries residing abroad were involved in cultivating customers through various online platforms.
Investigation is ongoing to trace additional facilitators, including drug dealers, stash handlers, bank-account operatives, and inter-state carriers, said Mr. Garg.
Published – November 08, 2025 05:58 am IST
