Private detectives of India’s Central Crime Branch have apprehended a 29-year-old Nigerian national over alleged cocaine trafficking, after discovering 121 grams of the drug concealed inside loaves of bread to avoid detection.
According to The Times of India on Tuesday, officers recovered 121 grams of cocaine worth about ₹1.2 crore from the suspect, underscoring an emerging pattern in which traffickers use ordinary food items to smuggle narcotics.
The suspect was identified as Olajide Esther Iyanuoluwa, who entered New Delhi last year on a student visa. Investigations, however, showed that she did not enrol in any academic institution.
Instead, police said she frequently moved across several areas in Mumbai and its outskirts, including Ghatkopar (Gala Nagar), Ambawadi and Nallasopara, where she was allegedly involved in drug distribution.
Senior officers disclosed that Olajide obtained the cocaine from a male accomplice in Mumbai and was instructed to personally transport it to another Nigerian national based in Bengaluru.
“She was directed to carry the drug herself and hand it over to another Nigerian national residing in Bengaluru. This was done to minimise suspicion and avoid courier-based interception,” an investigating officer revealed.
The Central Crime Branch initiated surveillance after receiving intelligence that a Nigerian woman was travelling by private bus from Mumbai to Bengaluru and planned to meet a local drug dealer near Varthur. She was arrested shortly after reaching the city.
A search of her belongings uncovered cocaine hidden inside bread loaves packed with other food items in her backpack. Police said the loaves had been hollowed out to stash the drugs.
Based on her confession, officers carried out a follow-up operation near Varthur and arrested the intended recipient. Authorities confirmed that the Nigerian buyer was deported soon after being taken into custody.
“The case shows how traffickers are constantly innovating ways, using common household items and food as cover,” a senior officer said, adding that the CCB has stepped up monitoring of interstate drug trafficking routes.
Investigations are continuing to uncover the wider supply network and identify other collaborators in the operation, while police warned that anyone linked to drug trafficking will face severe consequences.