Panchkula: A Nigerian national arrested in an interstate cocaine trafficking case had developed a network of customers across the Tricity and was allegedly supplying cocaine at around Rs 5,000 per gram, police said during the investigation.According to investigators, the drug was also being supplied to parts of Himachal Pradesh, where it fetched more than double the price. Police said the accused, Aja Ogbonna, a resident of Tilak Nagar, Delhi, allegedly supplied cocaine to local peddlers, who further sold it for Rs 15,000-20,000 per gram.Police claimed that Ogbonna operated the network from Delhi and allegedly prepared cocaine packets at his residence after procuring material from another Nigerian national.“He used to make cocaine pellets and sell them through his network. The accused has allegedly been supplying cocaine for nearly five years,” said DCP (crime) Amrinder Singh.Inspector Saurav Rawat of the anti-narcotics cell said the accused told investigators that he received material used for preparing cocaine from another Nigerian national in Delhi. Police are now trying to trace other suspects and identify the source of the contraband.The case was unearthed after the anti-narcotics cell received a tip-off that Anchit alias Chintu, a resident of Peer Muchalla, would come near Herbal Park in Sector 26 to deliver cocaine.Acting on the information, police laid a trap and arrested Anchit. During the search of his XUV-500, police recovered 87 cocaine pellets weighing 43 grams.During questioning, Anchit allegedly disclosed that he had procured the cocaine from a Nigerian national in Vikaspuri, Delhi, on the instructions of Ajay, a resident of Peer Muchalla. Based on the disclosure, police first arrested Ajay and subsequently nabbed Ogbonna.Police said Ogbonna came to India in 2018 on a business visa and allegedly used a clothing and footwear business as a front while supplying cocaine to customers to avoid suspicion.The investigation is under way to identify other members of the network and trace the source of the narcotics, police said.
