On the drug route, Nigerians use Ahmedabad

International crime syndicates are spreading their wings in the state and especially its commercial capital, Ahmedabad.

According to police reports, in the past 15 days alone, seven Nigerians have been apprehended by the city police in connection with running credit card, passport and visa frauds, along with fake foreign currency notes and for drug trafficking. Shockingly, during investigation, it was revealed that these drug traffickers use Gujarat as a lay-by before shipping the narcotics to other states.

These Nigerians come to India under the pretext of medical tourism and carry out their illegal activities with the help of local criminals. These Nigerians generally come in large numbers during the winter season, as there is a high need and consumption of drugs during this time when they can sell drugs at high rates. Certain drugs are also harvested during winter and are available at cheap rates.

The drugs supplied by these Nigerians include heroin, hashish, opium and cocaine. They are later smuggled to metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Pune from here. These drugs are especially a rage among the elite and rich class of society, including celebrities, models, businessmen and politicians.

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) director-general S Malik had recently called for a meeting in Mumbai of the bureau's joint directors from the west zone states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Goa. The meeting was held to discuss and decide on necessary steps to be taken to tackle the growing menace of drug trafficking operated by Nigerians.

Opium and heroin are legally cultivated in the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and later sold to the government by the farmers. But because they are psychotropic drugs with very high commercial value, much of the cultivated opium and heroin doesn't reach the government and is actually sold to the drug mafia, including these Nigerians, by the farmers. The narcotic substances that these Nigerians traffic are also a rage among youngsters and are consumed largely during commercial rave parties. The Nigerians employ a host of weird techniques to traffic the drugs across international and state borders, including hiding it in their body by stuffing the drugs in small plastic pouches, and eating the pouches and later retrieving the drugs through natural means.

NCB officials from the central and state offices, along with officials from other anti-narcotics agencies, are keeping a tight watch on these Nigerians. NCB chief officer in Gujarat, PM Sarvaiya, has said that these Nigerians generally come to Gujarat during winters due to the high consumption and rates that they can charge for the drugs.