India: a Nigerian sentenced to ten years in prison for international drug trafficking

A special court in Coimbatore sentenced James, also known as Emmanuel Chukwunonso Samson, a Nigerian national, to ten years in prison and fined him 100,000 rupees for his role in a large international drug trafficking network, the Indian Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said.

The case dates back to July 2012, when the Chennai zonal unit intercepted three suspicious parcels at a courier centre. Hidden inside handbags, boxes of auto parts and embroidery equipment, they contained 1.2 kilograms of heroin and 200 grams of methaqualone, with an estimated value of more than 200 million rupees on the international market.

The investigation later led to James’s arrest in Erode, where he was found in possession of an additional four kilograms of cannabis. Convicted on September 20, 2025, he was sentenced for involvement in a transnational smuggling operation. The NCB used the verdict to urge the public to report any trafficking via its national helpline, guaranteeing informants’ anonymity.