The Digest:
A total of 106 Nigerians were arrested in India for drug trafficking in 2024, ranking among the highest nationalities in a crackdown that captured 660 foreigners. The data, released by India’s Narcotics Control Bureau, highlights Nigeria’s troubling prominence in global narcotics networks. Rooted in the Storm.
Key Points
- Nigerians constituted the second-largest group after Nepalese (203) in India’s drug trafficking arrests.
- Other nationals arrested include Myanmarese (25), Bangladeshis (18), Ivorians (14), Ghanaians (13), and Icelanders (10).
- India’s Home Minister Amit Shah linked the drug trade to terrorism and urged the extradition of kingpins abroad.
- Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir are key entry points for heroin via drones from Pakistan.
- Coastal states like Gujarat and Kerala face rising synthetic drug smuggling via maritime routes.
- Shah called for advanced tech, darknet analysis, crypto tracking, and AI to dismantle cartels.
- India’s geographic proximity to global drug hubs (“Death Crescent” and “Death Triangle”) exacerbates the crisis.
The arrests reflect Nigeria’s escalating entanglement in international drug trafficking, demanding urgent bilateral cooperation and domestic interventions to curb syndicate recruitment.
Sources: Channels Television, Indian Express
