A 25-year-old Nigerian woman, Ifeoluwa Akinwunmi, is facing the possibility of up to 20 years in prison in India after she was allegedly caught with hard drugs valued at over ₦1.8 billion.
According to The New Indian Express, Akinwunmi — reportedly a hairstylist and nail technician — was arrested last Tuesday by operatives of the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru.
She was apprehended in Tarahunase village, near Rajanukunte Main Road, after arriving from Delhi with a suspicious bag. Authorities say the bag contained 5.325 kilograms of MDMA crystals — a potent synthetic party drug — hidden among 11 new churidar outfits (traditional Indian clothing).
Police disclosed that Akinwunmi was acting as a courier and was scheduled to hand over the drugs to a group of African nationals. Officers noted that although four men on two scooters were seen nearby, they left without collecting the package. Akinwunmi was then arrested while still in possession of the bag.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that she had travelled to India with plans to start a beauty salon business. However, she now faces serious charges under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the Foreigners Act, 1946.
Section 23 of the NDPS Act prescribes strict penalties for anyone involved in the import, export, or transshipment of banned narcotics. For offenses involving commercial quantities — like the MDMA in Akinwunmi’s case — the law mandates a minimum of 10 years and up to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, along with fines ranging from one to two lakh rupees.
Additionally, under the Foreigners Act, non-citizens involved in criminal activities may also face prosecution and deportation.
Akinwunmi’s arrest comes just two days after another Nigerian, Emmanuel Bediako (also known as Maxwell), was nabbed by the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau for alleged drug trafficking.
