Nigerian woman arrested for smuggling drugs in India

A Nigerian woman has been arrested by the police in India for allegedly smuggling and supplying psychotropic substances.

The police recovered 3.87 kilograms of Mescaline worth around Rs 15 crore in the international market. 

Officials said in a statement on Thursday, August 22, 2024 that the drug was smuggled in the packing of branded toffees and fish food.

The accused identified as Faith Racheal, was arrested on August 14 from the Mehrauli area of Delhi. 

Mescaline is known as a party drug with hallucinogenic effects the same as LSD and Psilocybin (magic mushroom). It is a naturally occurring psychedelic that comes from the Mexican Peyote cactus and the San Pedro cactus found in Peru and Ecuador and can be in powder, tablet, capsule or liquid form, police said.

On August 14, a raid was conducted at Mehrauli after getting a tip-off and Racheal was nabbed along with a bag in which 3.8 kg of Mescaline was recovered, which was concealed in the packing of branded toffee and fish foods, said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (special cell) Amit Kaushik.

Rachael came to India in August 2022 on a medical visa. 

After the expiry of the visa, she did not return to Nigeria. She came in contact with a Nigerian national and started smuggling of narcotics substance. 

She became part of the narcotics drug cartel that delivers consignment of narcotics substances from one country to another with the help of the said person based in Nigeria.