New Delhi: Amidst the clamour of a Ugandan woman being accused of indulging in a purported drug racket in Delhi, records show that Nepalese nationals followed by Nigerians were among the maximum foreigners arrested by central anti-narcotics agencies for such crimes in the country.
While the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested 72 Nepalese for indulging in illegal narcotics dealing and trade, 67 Nigerians and 26 Myanmarese were apprehended for such crimes under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act during the year 2012.
Only two Ugandans and three South African nationals were apprehended for these offences during the same period across the country.
This is the latest data maintained by the central agency which functions under the control of the Union Home Ministry.
Officials in the narcotics enforcement establishment say that while this cannot be called a representative data as a number of drug couriers go unreported, a number of them enter into a long drawn legal battle in various NDPS and other higher courts in the country.
An official report, citing the trends of drugs smuggling in the country, stated that the involvement of foreign nationals in trafficking and distribution networks is diverse.
So, while Nigerian nationals are majorly caught in cases of "Heroin and Cocaine" smuggling, "Israeli and Nepali citizens are caught by Indian agencies in case of Hashish trading."
Amongst the other African nations, whose citizens were arrested during the same period, include Tanzania (6), Sudan (2), Mozambique (1), Lesotho (3), Kenya (1), Zimbabwe (3), Zambia (2), Cameroon (2) and Ghana (5).
