Indian police have arrested a Nigerian man for allegedly supplying methamphetamine to Information Technology (IT) employees in Pallavaram and Tambaram, two suburbs of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
The arrest followed a tip-off about the alleged distribution of synthetic drugs targeting young technology professionals.
A special police team subsequently conducted a targeted operation, apprehending the suspect and recovering quantities of methamphetamine from his possession.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had allegedly been residing in Chennai illegally after his visa expired.
Police said he was operating a localised drug distribution network targeting IT workers in the city’s southern suburbs.
The authorities said the operation was prompted by reports of rampant synthetic drug peddling targeting young tech professionals.
The police said, the suspect was “actively operating a localized distribution network catering specifically to IT workers in the southern suburbs.”
The Nigerian was subsequently booked under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and remanded to judicial custody.
The law prohibits the possession, sale and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, with penalties depending on the nature and quantity of the substances involved.
Police said further investigation was underway to trace the broader supply chain and identify additional accomplices.
The probe is expected to establish the source of the drugs and determine whether other individuals were involved in the alleged distribution network.
