A 25-year-old Nigerian woman, Ifeoluwa Akinwunmi, is facing the possibility of up to 20 years imprisonment in India after being arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly trafficking drugs valued at over ₦1.8 billion.
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Akinwunmi, reportedly a hairstylist and nail artist, was apprehended last Tuesday by operatives of the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch while carrying a suspicious bag in Tarahunase village, along Rajanukunte Main Road.
According to The New Indian Express, a search of her bag revealed 5.325 kilograms of MDMA crystals, a banned synthetic party drug, hidden 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,” a police officer said. “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.”
The suspect claimed she came to India to set up a beauty salon, but now faces charges under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the Foreigners Act, 1946.
Under Section 23 of the NDPS Act, possession of a commercial quantity of narcotics such as MDMA attracts a minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years in prison, along with fines ranging from one to two lakh rupees.
The Foreigners Act also empowers the Indian government to prosecute and deport foreign nationals involved in criminal activity.
Akinwunmi’s arrest comes just two days after another Nigerian, Emmanuel Bediako (alias Maxwell), was also arrested in Telangana for alleged drug trafficking.
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