How heroin from Africa lands in Greater Noida

Noida: Greater Noida is once again in the spotlight for an alleged drug supply chain having its roots in Africa, with the latest drug haul of over 14 kg heroin worth Rs 60 crore from three persons, including an Ivory Coast national from Omicron IA Sector. And TOI has learnt that the Ivorian had been staying in a Greater Noida house for the past three years on the rent agreement of another foreigner.
NCB (Delhi zone) director KPS Malhotra said the three accused foreigners — two women from Mozambique who were arrested at Delhi’s IGI Airport on Saturday, and the Ivorian, identified as Sibirinan Soro — were, in fact, part of a bigger gang that operate at an international level.
“The accused receive drug consignments from Mozambique or South Africa from where they come to India. The female accused were operating as mules who have been transporting drugs inside the baggages, trolley-bags and handbags. These mules arrive in India, stay in hotels for two-three days after which, they hand over the consignment to the receivers in India. The Ivory Coast national in this case has been identified as one of the receivers,” he said.
NCB officers said Soro was possibly involved in a larger drug trail and supplying drugs to the neighbouring parts since as many as 20 bags were seized from him. “Soro could not produce a visa at the time of his arrest and we have written to the foreigners’ registration office to verify if he has one,” Malhotra said.
Meanwhile, sources and neighbours, said that Soro had been staying in the house in Omicron IA, belonging to Yashpal Singh, with a woman on the rent agreement of another foreigner. “The duo had hired two-three local workers who would stitch clothes for the woman who claimed to own a shop somewhere in Greater Noida. The workers have stopped coming since the raid took place,” a neighbour said.
Gajendra Bhati, RWA president, Omicron IA, said, “It was found that while the house was rented out to another foreigner, the accused had been staying here. There was a valid rent agreement signed by the tenant for a year but he was not staying here,” he said. Other neighbours said the owner seldom visits the house.
Meanwhile, the Greater Noida police said that they were yet to receive any information from NCB on the issue. “No information has been shared with the local police about the raid so far. Action will be taken once we receive any information about the active receivers operating in the city, if any,” DCP (Greater Noida) Rajesh Kumar Singh said.
Drug hauls, involving foreign nationals, are not uncommon in Greater Noida. In May 2019, NCB had seized 1,818kg of pseudoephedrine from a house in Greater Noida and arrested two Nigerian nationals, and one South African national, in the country’s biggest-ever narcotics seizure in recent years. The house, which belonged to an IPS officer, was being used as a drug-manufacturing unit, officials said.