A Special Court in Coimbatore has sentenced a young Nigerian national to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment for smuggling banned narcotic substances from Delhi to Coimbatore.

The case dates back to July 2021, when officials of the Chennai Zonal unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) received intelligence reports about illegal narcotics being transported by train from Delhi to Coimbatore. Acting swiftly on the information, NCB officers intensified surveillance at Coimbatore Railway Station and carried out strict monitoring of incoming passengers.

During the operation, officials identified a passenger, Ekwin Kingsley Ugochukwu, a Nigerian national, as suspicious and conducted a detailed search of his luggage. The inspection led to the recovery of around 2.235 kilograms of Amphetamine, a prohibited narcotic substance, concealed in eight separate parcels.

According to NCB officials, the seized drugs had an estimated international market value exceeding ₹1 crore. During questioning, investigators found that the narcotics had been transported from Delhi to Coimbatore by train, allegedly with plans to distribute them among youths and employees working in IT companies in the city.

Following the seizure, the NCB registered a case against the accused under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. He was subsequently arrested and remanded to judicial custody. The charge sheet was filed before the Special Court for Narcotics Cases in Coimbatore in January 2022.

After examining the evidence and completing the trial, the court found the accused guilty and sentenced him to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment. In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a fine of ₹1.5 lakh.

Welcoming the judgment, Chennai Zonal NCB officials stated that seven convictions had been secured in drug-related cases this year alone. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to taking strict action against drug trafficking networks as part of efforts to support a drug-free society.