Hyderabad:A Nigerian national allegedly dispatched by an overseas drug cartel to expand operations in Hyderabad was arrested on Monday, as authorities seized a stash of cocaine and ecstasy pills valued at ₹1.25 crore from a rented home in Sainikpuri.
Emmanuel Bediako, alias Maxwell, 34, had travelled to India thrice since 2013 and is believed to have previously operated out of Goa. During those stints, he allegedly dealt in high-grade narcotics including “celebrity cocaine,” regular cocaine, and MDMA, earning commissions estimated at ₹1.17 crore across the trips, according to the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB).
Investigators said his latest visit to Hyderabad was not incidental. Acting on instructions from a handler known as Romey—reportedly operating from Nigeria—Maxwell shifted base to Hyderabad in a calculated move to tap into what the cartel sees as a lucrative and expanding customer base in the city.
TGANB officials suspect Maxwell was laying the groundwork for a local peddling network, using a friend’s house in Sainikpuri as a base of operations. A raid based on specific intelligence led to his arrest and the seizure of 150 grams of pure cocaine along with 1,100 ecstasy pills.
The Bureau also pointed to a wider financial trail behind the bust. According to their initial probe, the drugs originated overseas, and the profits were funnelled back to Nigeria via a money laundering network involving both Indian hawala agents and operatives linked to the Nigerian cartel.
Authorities believe the arrest may be just the tip of the iceberg, potentially unravelling a larger network of narcotics financing. The TGANB has pledged to go after the money trail, vowing to break apart the laundering channels that keep these operations running.
Officials also pointed to Hyderabad’s growing role as a target for international drug syndicates, saying the city is fast becoming a key hub. More crackdowns, they warned, are on the horizon.
