Karnataka Police’s Historic Drug Bust: 37.87 kg MDMA Seized, Two South African Women Arrested | Mangaluru News
MANGALURU: In a major drug haul, touted as the biggest ever by the Karnataka State Police, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths of Mangaluru City Police arrested two South African women and seized 37.87 kg of MDMA, estimated to be worth Rs 75 crore.
The arrested accused have been identified as Bamba Fanta, alias Adonis Jabulile, 31, from Agbovillae, South Africa, currently residing in Vipin Garden, Nawada, New Delhi and Abigail Adonis, alias Olijo Evans, 30, from Pretoria, South Africa, residing in Malviya Nagar, New Delhi.
The accused Bamba Fanta
The accused Abigail Adonis
According to the police, Fanta arrived in India in 2020 on a business visa and was running a food cart, while Adonis came in 2016 on a medical visa and was engaged in the garment business.
Seizure and arrest
City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal told reporters on Sunday that, along with the MDMA, the police seized:
- Four mobile phones
- Two trolley bags
- Two passports
- Rs 18,460 in cash
- Other incriminating items
The accused were allegedly transporting MDMA in crystal form from Delhi to Bengaluru by flight for large-scale distribution. They were arrested near Neeladri Nagar, near Electronic City, Bengaluru.
Six-month investigation
The operation was part of a six-month-long investigation led by CCB ACP Manoj Kumar, following the arrest of a man named Hyder Ali at Pumpwell by Mangaluru East Police, where 15 grams of MDMA was seized. Subsequently, the CCB took over the investigation and traced the supply chain to Bengaluru, leading to the arrest of Nigerian national Peter Ikedi Belonwu, from whom 6.248 kg of MDMA was recovered.
Tracking the smuggling network
Further investigations revealed that the South African women were smuggling MDMA via air routes from Delhi to Bengaluru, prompting continuous tracking.
On March 13, based on specific intelligence, the CCB team rushed to Bengaluru and began monitoring the movement of the two accused women. Upon their arrival at the airport the next day, they were placed under surveillance and followed for five to six hours in an attempt to trace other members of the network.
Finally, they were arrested on March 14 at Neeladri Nagar, Bengaluru.
Lavish lifestyle and fake documents
Preliminary investigations revealed that the duo were supplying MDMA to Nigerian nationals and others in Nelamangala, Hosakote, and KR Puram, leading a lavish lifestyle.
The police also found that they were using fake passports and visas and would return to Delhi within 24 hours after deliveries. The source of the MDMA, whether procured domestically or trafficked from outside India, is still under investigation, the commissioner stated.
Frequent travels and drug peddling confession
The commissioner further revealed that in the last six months, the duo had travelled 59 times between Delhi and Bengaluru. They have reportedly confessed to being involved in drug peddling for over 1.5 years.
Coordination with Narcotics Control Bureau
Considering the scale of the drug bust and the inter-state network involved, the City Police will coordinate with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to further probe the case.
Commissioner Anupam Agrawal also stated that he would recommend a suitable reward for the team to the Home Minister and propose the chief minister’s Medal for their efforts.
Officials involved in the operation
DCPs Sidharth Goyal and K Ravishankar, ACP Manoj Kumar, and CCB staff were present during the briefing.
The case is still under investigation, with authorities working to uncover the entire network behind the smuggling and distribution of MDMA in Karnataka.
