Bengaluru: Foreign national arrested for drug peddling; drugs worth Rs 2.5 crore in champagne bottles seized

Bengaluru: Police officials on Saturday have arrested a foreign national from Ivory Coast who was allegedly peddling drugs and recovered 2.5 kg of MDMA crystals worth approximately Rs 2.5 crore. The accused had stored the crystals in empty champagne bottles.

The accused has been identified as Dosu Khaleef, 28, a citizen of the Ivory Coast. A mobile and a two-wheeler was also seized from Khaleef.

Acting on a tip-off, the Govindapura police intercepted Khaleef while he was selling the drugs near Yusuf Maszid service road in HBR Layout.

It is said that he was sourcing the narcotics from a supplier in Goa and smuggled them to the city by road using empty champagne bottles to hide them. Each champagne bottle carrying drugs was sold for Rs 60 to Rs 70 lakh.

Khaleef came to India three years ago under a tourist visa and was not able to produce any valid passport or visa documents to the police.

He has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Foreigners Act.