New Delhi

Delhi Police on Friday busted an international narco cartel and arrested one Nigerian national and recovered heroin worth Rs 3 crore in the international market from his possession, the police said.

The accused, identified as Prince Emeka Lath (34), a permanent resident of Anambara in Nigeria, was presently residing in Tilak Nagar. He came to India on a tourist visa in January 2017, but even after his visa expired, he neither extended it nor returned to his country. Furnishing the details, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ghanshyam Bansal said a tip-off was received that an African national involved in drug peddling would deliver a consignment of heroin in Tilak Nagar. The police then laid a trap near Santgarh in Tilak Nagar.

"After a wait for two hours, the accused was apprehended from the spot and 602 gm fine quality heroin, sourced from Afghanistan, was recovered from his possession," the DCP said. During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he received the contraband from another African national named Charles.

"Efforts are on to unearth the entire racket," the officer said. Notably, this is the second big catch in the past 10 days in which an African national was involved, and the third major haul of such contraband in the last 10 days. On April 6, the Cell Against Illegal Foreigner and Narcotics (CAIFAN) of Dwarka district police arrested a 50-year-old Nigerian national along with 1,081 gm heroin worth Rs 10 crore.

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The Special Cell of Delhi Police had earlier busted an international narcotics cartel and arrested two of its key members along with heroin worth Rs 40 crore.