Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Mar 17: The involvement of foreign nationals in drug-related activities along the coastal region, including Mangaluru and Kasargod, has been growing, with authorities intensifying their crackdown on the illegal trade.
In recent years, Nigerian and other African nationals residing in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, and surrounding areas for education and business purposes have been found engaged in drug trafficking. Some have also been caught overstaying their visas. From 2022 to 2024, Mangaluru police arrested 13 foreign nationals in drug-related cases, the majority of whom were from Nigeria. The breakdown of arrests includes one in 2022, six in 2023, and four in 2024. So far this year, three individuals have been apprehended, including one Nigerian national.
The Mangaluru police commissionerate has registered more than 2,200 cases related to drug possession and sale over the past four years, leading to the arrest of over 2,900 individuals.
The supply of high-priced drugs such as MDMA has increased in Mangaluru compared to substances like marijuana and charas. In 2024 alone, authorities seized 7 kg 305 g of MDMA worth Rs 6.59 crore. In 2023, MDMA worth Rs 1.11 crore was confiscated.
In Udupi district, 91 g of MDMA was seized in 2022, 98 g in 2023, and 25.33 g in 2024.