Latest news with #TGANB
Hans India
7 minutes ago
- Hans India
Two drug traffickers land in TGANB net
Hyderabad: The Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB), in coordination with Wanaparthy Police and RNCC units from Nizamabad and Mahabubnagar, apprehended two individuals involved in the illegal trade of Alprazolam, a banned psychotropic substance. The accused were caught red-handed during a transaction at the Agriculture Market Yard in Pebbair. The arrested individuals, BhaskarGoud (42) and EdigaNarasimhaGoud (31), both residents of Gadwal district, were found in possession of 500 grams of Alprazolam—five times the commercial quantity threshold of 100 grams under the NDPS Act.
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- The Hindu
Alprazolam racket busted in Telangana: two held in Pebbair
In a coordinated operation, the Wanaparthy Police and Regional Narcotics Control Cells (RNCCs) of Nizamabad and Mahabubnagar, under the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB), arrested two individuals for trafficking 500 grams of Alprazolam, a banned psychotropic drug. The bust was made during a covert operation at the agriculture market yard in Pebbair, Wanaparthy where the accused were caught in the act. The accused have been identified as Bhaskar Goud, 42, of Thummalapalli village, and Ediga Narasimha Goud, 31, of Gadwal district. The duo was apprehended while attempting to transfer the narcotic substance, which is five times over the 'commercial quantity' threshold under the NDPS Act. An officer from the Bureau said the main accused, Narasimha Goud, has been trafficking Alprazolam across Gadwal, Pebbair, and Kurnool for the past five years. 'He procured the substance from his contacts in Kurnool, including Ediga Gopal Goud, Ediga Jagadish Goud, and Harshawardhan Goud, at ₹2.8 lakh per kg and resold it for ₹4 lakh per kg. The consignment was reportedly being supplied to toddy shop operators,' said the officer. The substance was recovered in transparent packets containing a yellowish powder, later confirmed to be Alprazolam by forensic analysis. The source, police say, includes a suspect named Ramakrishna from Anantapur, who remains at large. Further investigations by TGANB has uncovered a larger network of clandestine pharmaceutical units manufacturing Alprazolam illegally across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The key accused, Amar Singh Deshmukh, a chemistry PhD, was operating labs supplying to both traffickers and toddy vendors. The TGANB has urged citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious narcotic or toddy-related activity via the 1908 toll-free helpline or by email at tsnabho-hyd@ All tips will be treated confidentially, and credible informants will be rewarded.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Hans India
TGANB apprehends Nigerian drug dealer, seizes drugs worth Rs 1.25 cr
Hyderabad: The Telangana Anti-Narcotic Bureau (TGANB) apprehended a Nigerian drug peddler who was in possession of psychotropic drug Cocaine and Ecstasy pills. Police seized drugs worth Rs 1.25 crore from his possession. The arrested person was identified as Emmanuel Bediako Alias Maxwell (34). Police seized 150 grams of Cocaine, 1,100 Ecstasy pills and two mobile phones from him. Sunny and Onyeisi Romanus Ikechukwu of Nigeria are absconding. According to police, Maxwell visited India three times. For the third visit, his total commission was around Rs 1.17 crore (210 million Nigerian Nairas). During his first visit to India, from November 2013 to July 2022, he visited Bangalore on medical visa using his original name Omyeisi Esomchi Kenneth, but never went to Bangalore and it was fake. From there he went to Goa, as per the instructions given by his cousin Romanus and stayed there. As long as he stayed in India, he was operating a mobile phone and carried on his drug business. During 2013 to 2022, he had sold drugs worth more than 2 crore. His commission was 20 per cent and earned almost Rs 40 lakh (72 million Niaras) during this period. In August 2021, he went back to Nigeria. For the second time, on December 25, 2023, he arrived at Delhi on medical visa for Bangalore on the name of Ezuruike Chirotam Valentine. But he never went to Bangalore, and instead went to Goa and did drug business along with Romanus and went back to Nigeria in the month of July-2024. In seven months, he earned Rs 20 lakh. Police said that in his third visit in January 2025, Romanus advised Maxwell to go to India on Ghana passport by another name and deposited 2,000,000 Nairas in his bank account and asked him to go to Ghana and meet a person who will prepare his travel documents to India. On January 25, 2025, he came to Delhi, India on medical visa by using Ghana passport on the name of Bediako Emmanuel. After landing at Delhi, again he went to Goa and stayed there. He dealt with pure Cocaine and MDMA. He sold the pure Cocaine for a price of Rs 25,000 per gram and each Ecstasy pill for a price of Rs 6,000. K Madhu Mohan Reddy, DSP TGANB said that in 2024-2025 till his arrest, he laundered money to the tune of 103 million Nigerian Nairas which was his commission for the sale of drugs. The drugs sold in India would be around 500 million Nigerian Nairas. The drugs that were being sold by the Nigerian drug cartels came from abroad and the drug money and profits were sent to Nigeria through an extensive money laundering channel involving an Indian Hawala operator and a Nigerian stationed in Mumbai. He had provided almost 150 bank transactions to his boss Romanus, his wife and his brother in law, totaling about 103 million Nigerian Nairas. A few days back, Romanus instructed him to expand the business beyond Goa and suggested doing it in Hyderabad as there is a high customer base. He came to his friend's house in Sainikpuri and brought drugs to develop the network of local peddlers and consumers. On information, the sleuths of TGANB apprehended the accused in Sainikpuri.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- The Hindu
Nigerian drug peddler arrested in Hyderabad with ₹1.25 crore worth cocaine, ecstasy pills
The Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) on Sunday arrested a Nigerian national in Sainikpuri, seizing 150 grams of high-purity cocaine, branded in drug circles as 'celebrity cocaine', along with 1,100 ecstasy pills. The total street value of the seizure is pegged at ₹1.25 crore. The accused, identified as Emmanuel Bediako alias Maxwell, 34, is part of a larger West African drug cartel operating across India, said the Director of the Bureau, Sandeep Shandilya. 'He entered the country using fake identities and forged passports, and had been operating primarily from Goa before moving to Hyderabad in a bid to expand the cartel's network. Maxwell's history in India spans three separate stints, starting in 2013. He initially came on a medical visa under false pretenses and never visited the hospital or city mentioned in his documents. Instead, he joined his cousin and alleged cartel boss, Romey, in Goa,' said the officer. Romey, who is currently in Nigeria, controlled operations remotely and used Maxwell as one of several foot soldiers managing supply chains and local deliveries. 'During his time in India, Maxwell operated using burner phones, moved frequently to avoid detection, and laundered his earnings through a wide network of Nigerian bank accounts and Indian hawala routes. After exhausting the Goa market, the cartel directed Maxwell to scout Hyderabad, citing rising demand,' added the officer. He arrived in Hyderabad in early 2025 and began setting up a local supply chain. Police caught up with him at a friend's house in Sainikpuri, where he had the narcotics, two mobile phones loaded with transaction data, and photographs of previous consignments. Police said that he was selling cocaine for ₹25,000 a gram and ecstasy pills at ₹6,000 apiece. Data retrieved from his phone included details of over 150 bank transactions across Nigerian banks, including GT Bank, Zenith Bank, and Moniepoint MFB. These were reportedly tied to Romey, his wife, Ugwu Promise Nnenna, and his brother-in-law. Maxwell is also said to have operated out of a luxury villa in Goa before relocating due to police pressure. 'This isn't just a case of drug peddling, it's an organised transnational racket involving multiple countries, fake documents, money laundering, and a systematic targeting of Indian youth,' said Director Shandilya. A Red Corner Notice against Romey and other absconding Nigerian nationals is likely to follow. Authorities have also issued an advisory to property owners in areas like Paramount Colony, Brundavan Colony, Sainikpuri, Tolichowki, and Banjara Hills to report any foreign nationals staying in rented properties and to comply with mandatory C-form registration as per the Foreigners Act.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Chemistry PhD holder mastermind in alprazolam racket
Hyderabad: The man who played a key role in manufacturing 100 kg of alprazolam, seized from two factories in Maharashtra recently, holds a PhD in Chemistry, according to police investigating the case. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The drug was allegedly supplied to toddy compounds in Telangana and Karnataka. Following raids on two premises in Ahilyanagar and Satara of Maharashtra, TG Anti Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) officials found that the factories were illegally manufacturing alprazolam without obtaining necessary permission from govt authorities. Providing crucial technical support to the gang was Amar Singh Deshmukh from Satara district, who holds a PhD in Chemistry from a college in Pune. "He owns Suryaprabha Pharmachem in Satara. From the outside, it looks like any other factory. He is an expert in improvising the chemical to stage 4 and 5 by sourcing stage-3 chemicals through his contacts," a TGANB official told TOI. Police have named Prasad Kadere of Umarga Osmanabad as the prime accused in this racket, while the others were identified as Vishwanath from Daund, Choudary Shabbir Ali from Umarga, Parmeshwar Vijay Bardale from Lathur, Swamy Goud from Gulbarga in Karnataka, and M Laxman Goud of Nizamabad district. It was Deshmukh who, after producing the drug, supplied it to Prasad. The prime accused then handed it over to the two transporters — Ali and Parameshwar. Swamy and Goud received the consignment from transporters and distributed it among known toddy compound owners. Drug was at stage-5 during raid "The main challenge for the bureau was to ensure that all the accused — located at different places in Maharashtra, Telangana and Karnataka — were caught simultaneously along with the drug. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A coordinated effort from inter-state police was needed so that none of them could escape. The raid was conducted after we got information that the preparation of the drug was in stage 5, which is when it is called alprazolam," an official said. Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, chemical combination up to stage-3 in the making of alprazolam is not an offence. "If anyone processes the substance to stage-4 and stage-5, it becomes an offence. We were particular about the seizure of the drug at that stage," another source added. Although the police seized 100 kg of alprazolam and 338 kg of stage-4 chemical, officials during the questioning of the arrested, found that 100 kg of alprazolam had already been sold. Youth offered initial lead After reports of adulterated toddy came to light in April in Kamareddy district, TGANB officials, with the help of district police, conducted awareness camps involving youngsters. They were given sports kits and motivated to share information related to drug abuse. A few days later, while police were probing the adulterated toddy case, some youth offered information, which acted as initial leads that eventually unravelled the inter-state drug racket.
