Indian-based Nigerian risks death sentence for suspected drug peddling

A 34-year-old Nigerian, Orachor Onyeka, who was arrested for allegedly supplying synthetic drugs in the Indian city of Bhopal, now risks the death penalty under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (as amended), if found guilty.

THE PRIME NEWS learnt from a report by the Times of India on Wednesday that Onyeka was arrested alongside a Thai woman. The duo was alleged to be active in the distribution of drugs both online and offline in Bhopal and Delhi.

According to the report, their arrest followed the earlier apprehension of six individuals believed to be members of a drug distribution network known as Yasin.

The report stated, “The arrested Nigerian national, 34-year-old Orachor Onyeka, is already facing charges under the Foreigners Act and fraud sections at DLF Phase-1 Police Station in Delhi.

“Onyeka has a sprawling drug distribution network across Bhopal, Delhi, and other Indian cities. Police sources revealed that he imports MDMA from foreign countries and has been operating in India for the past seven years.

“He contacted his clients through WhatsApp, Telegram, and other online platforms. He supplied MDMA to the nabbed drug peddlers Yasin and Shahwar. Cops believe that he might be manufacturing the chemical drugs at his hideout.”

The report further noted that the Thai woman was arrested at a spa centre, raising concerns about possible illegal activities at such establishments across the city.

It also revealed that multiple SIM cards were recovered from Onyeka and the Thai woman, which were registered under Indian names.

It continued, “Additional DCP (Crime Branch) Shailendra Singh Chouhan said that police recovered Indian SIM cards from the nabbed Nigerian man and Thai woman.

“They were issued using the identity of a local Indian individual.”

Police are investigating the numbers and trying to contact the person in whose name the SIM cards were issued.

“If the accused fraudulently used the documents to obtain the SIM cards, a separate FIR will be registered against them.”

The report also indicated that the police were hunting for more suspected accomplices connected to the duo.

Meanwhile, a PUNCH Metro review of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, on the Indian government’s website on Wednesday, revealed that drug offenders risk penalties ranging from fines to life imprisonment, and in some cases, the death sentence.

“NDPS Act views drug offences very seriously and penalties are stiff. The quantum of sentence and fine varies with the offence. For many offences, the penalty depends on the quantity of drug involved—small quantity, more than small but less than commercial quantity, or commercial quantity of drugs. Small and commercial quantities are noted for each drug.

“Under the NDPS Act, abetment, criminal conspiracy, and even attempts to commit an offence attract the same punishment as the offence itself. Preparation to commit an offence attracts half the penalty. Repeat offences attract one-and-a-half times the penalty and, in some cases, the death penalty,” the Act stated in part.

In a related incident, PUNCH Metro reported on April 30 that a special court in the Bengaluru District of India sentenced a Nigerian, Kingsley Samuel, to 14 years imprisonment for drug trafficking.

Samuel was arrested in October 2022 with 140 grams of illicit drugs and was arraigned before the special judge for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances cases, Vijaya Devaraj Urs.

He was subsequently found guilty of possessing illicit drugs without authorisation and overstaying his visa period in the country.