No fewer than 50 Nigerians have been arrested in one of India’s largest coordinated operations targeting a transnational narcotics network linked to a wide-ranging drug-distribution and hawala laundering syndicate operating across several major cities.

According to a report on Thursday by NDTV, the crackdown was executed by the Delhi Police in collaboration with the Telangana Police’s EAGLE unit. The arrests followed months of intelligence gathering and simultaneous raids across Delhi, which dismantled key segments of a cartel responsible for moving methamphetamine and cocaine across the country.

Investigators found that the syndicate maintained an extensive customer base, using encrypted communication channels and delivery methods similar to food-delivery apps to conduct drug “dead drops” and avoid direct contact with buyers.

“The network was extremely sophisticated. They used layered communication channels and app-based delivery patterns to evade law-enforcement detection,” the report stated.

Authorities also uncovered that the cartel’s distribution network was intertwined with a sex-trade ring that provided both cover and logistics for drug circulation. “Investigators have identified approximately 2,000 individuals who were supplied drugs through courier and dead-drop methods,” the report added.

According to the findings, “the sex trade was used as a cover for drug supply and distribution,” expanding the syndicate’s criminal reach.

The report further noted that the massive operation, conducted with support from police teams in Noida, Vizag, and Gwalior, culminated in the arrest of 50 Nigerian nationals in Delhi after extensive surveillance and intelligence-driven coordination.

On the financial front, investigators revealed that the cartel channelled proceeds through hawala operators who converted illicit earnings into tradable goods—such as garments and human hair—exported to Lagos, Nigeria, to disguise the drug profits as legitimate commerce. “The proceeds from drug sales were funnelled through local hawala operators… shipped to Lagos, Nigeria, effectively cleaning the illicit earnings,” the report stated.

One identified kingpin is alleged to have laundered at least ₹15 crore through these channels, according to the report.

The arrests mark a significant milestone in India’s ongoing multi-agency efforts to dismantle persistent synthetic-drug cartels. Previous Nigerian-linked drug busts in Bengaluru, Delhi, and Goa had highlighted growing concerns over transnational methamphetamine networks.

Indian police describe this latest coordinated operation—which netted 50 Nigerian suspects—as a major breakthrough against an “entrenched and continually evolving” narcotics supply chain. Officials say the next phase of the investigation will focus on tightening immigration checks, tracking hawala operators, and identifying other cartel commanders believed to be operating from outside India.

The organisers of the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards have announced that the Wife of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat, will lead a distinguished line-up of political figures and Nollywood veterans to a special public reading.

The event, which holds at 12:00 PM on Tuesday, December 2, will feature the reading of Tomi Falade’s book, a play titled ‘Olobun: Matriarch Of Ondo, Mother Of Legacy’.

Mrs. Hamzat will be joined by the State Secretary to the Government, Mrs. Hundeyin; the Deputy Speaker of LAHA, Hon. Moji Meranda Ojora; the Commissioner for Tourism, Mrs. Toke Benson Awoyinka; and the SA Housing, Hon. Barakat Bakare.

Adding creative star power, they will be accompanied by former BON Awards winners, including Omowunmi Dada, Keppy Ekpeyoung, Segun Arinze, and Stan Eze.

Olobun is a compelling historical play by Tomi Falade that explores the dramatic origins of a major Yoruba Kingdom, and is predominantly set during the tumultuous 15th-century Oyo Empire.

The story revolves around the birth of twins to Alaafin Oluaso, the abolition of killing twin babies, and how a woman rose to a place of power in Yoruba Land.

Ultimately, the book serves as a journalistic and dramatic account of the journey that culminates in the founding of the great Ondo Kingdom, presenting the character Olobun as the living proof of a powerful legacy born from destiny.

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa, has charged his colleague-lawmakers to be thorough and transparent as they embark on a review of the 2026 Appropriation Bill presented to the House by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu last Tuesday.

Obasa spoke during a three-day budget retreat of the Assembly, holding at the Park Inn by Radisson, Abeokuta, Ogun State, from November 26 to 28. The retreat, themed “Budget of Shared Prosperity: Enhancing Accountability and Transparency in Lagos State Budget Process”, was attended by all lawmakers, select legislative staff, and senior aides of the Speaker.

Speaker Obasa said with the formal presentation of the ‘Budget of Shared Prosperity’ by Governor Sanwo-Olu, “It now behoves you, as representatives of the people, to do your job with clinical efficiency, empathy, diligence, self-awareness, transparency, and conviction. The governor has done everything to convince us that they have done a thorough job on the Budget, but it is left to the Assembly to decide how we will go about appropriating the state’s resources to align with the demands and aspirations of every Lagosian.”

Obasa further stated that he firmly believed that waste of scarce resources can be curbed if lawmakers perform their oversight functions effectively. “But when you pretend like you don’t see what you are supposed to see in the budget or you allow your palms to be greased, don’t forget, you are going back home; you are going back to that community that you didn’t defend or protect its interest when it was important to do so. And it is at home that your political fate will be decided. Let us do what is expected of us, and we will get it right,” he said.

The annual offsite budget retreat, which reflects Obasa’s insistence on a people-centric budget, aims to review and analyse, and ensure the timely passage of the state’s appropriation bill.

Among the resource persons at the retreat were Mr Olufemi Orojimi, the Director of Budget, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, who spoke on ‘Understanding the 2026 Appropriation Strategy: Insights from 2025 Budget Performance and Implementation Caps’; Dr Muda Yusuf, Founder/CEO, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, who did justice to his papers on ‘An overview of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework’ and Improving legislative Oversight for Budget Implementation: The strategic role of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

With the smoothness of a hot knife through butter, Yomi Olugbenro, West Africa Tax Leader at Deloitte, discussed ‘Navigating Nigeria’s New Tax Regime: Roles and Responsibilities of the Legislature.’ Other facilitators were Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, Director/Clerk, Senate Public Accounts Committee; Olusegun Mojeed, the immediate past president/chairman, Board of Fellows, CIPM Nigeria; and Ifeanyi Peter, National Team Leader, Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement.