Nigerian national held with mephedrone worth Rs 66.18 lakh in Thane

Thane, Jan 16 (PTI) A Nigerian national was arrested allegedly with mephedrone worth Rs 66.18 lakh, a Thane police official said on Thursday.
John James Francis alias Onah Chiedozie Ethelber alias John Ezugwa Francis (45), a resident of Masjid Bunder in south Mumbai, was held by the Thane Crime Branch's Anti Narcotics Cell on a tip off from Desai Naka on January 12, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amarsingh Jadhav told newsmen.
"We seized 661.80 grams of mephedrone worth Rs 66.18 lakh. He has been charged under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act as well as Foreign Nationals Act and Passport Act. The Shil Daighar police is probing further," Jadhav said.
A probe has found that he had served six years in jail in an NDPS case registered by Mumbai police and once again took to drug peddling after being released on November 13, 2024, the official informed.
Apart from the drug peddling angle, the police is also investigating who helped him get Indian ID cards using forged documents, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)