In a major success against synthetic drug trafficking, the Tamil Nadu police recently dismantled a sprawling drug cartel that operated across multiple Indian states and involved foreign nationals. The operation, which lasted over a month, revealed a highly sophisticated supply chain dealing in methamphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine, targeting working professionals, college students, and urban users in Tamil Nadu.

The investigation began in October 2025, when a special police team apprehended two individuals, Muneer (28) and Javeed (38), red-handed with 55 grams of methamphetamine. This initial seizure set off a broader probe that eventually uncovered connections spanning from local peddlers in Tamil Nadu to suppliers in Mumbai’s Dharavi and international operatives coordinating from inside prisons near Chennai.

Inspector General of Police of Tamil Nadu’s North Zone, Asra Garg, led the initiative, forming a special team comprising senior officers including Superintendent of Police of Tiruvallur District, Vivekananda Shukla, and over 15 personnel drawn from multiple districts. Their focus was on monitoring repeat offenders, tracking recently released convicts, and dismantling inter-state and international drug networks operating in the region.

Following the initial arrests, the investigation traced the supply chain to Sibiraj, a 22-year-old dancer and social media influencer, who was arrested on October 23 with 54 grams of methamphetamine. Evidence recovered from Sibiraj included electronic devices, drug-packaging materials, and lab apparatus, revealing his direct link to foreign suppliers. The inquiry highlighted that he sourced drugs from international operatives and facilitated distribution in Bengaluru and Chennai.

The investigation took a significant turn with the arrest of Michael Nwasah Nnamdi (43), a Nigerian national residing in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, on October 28. Authorities recovered seven mobile phones, laptops, two passports, hundreds of medicines, and 39 grams of suspicious crystalline substances. Nnamdi’s arrest helped police map transactions and trace payments made through bank accounts in West Bengal, Nagaland, and Mizoram, revealing the inter-state monetary flow supporting the cartel.

Following this, Kafita Yannick Tshimbombo (36), a Congolese national living in Chennai, was apprehended on October 29. Both arrests exposed the intricate methods employed by the cartel, including GPS-based communication with buyers, foreign-registered mobile numbers for covert instructions, and discrete drug drop locations, allowing buyers to collect narcotics without direct contact with suppliers.

The kingpin orchestrating the network was identified as Bende, a 43-year-old native of Senegal residing in Delhi. Bende managed the entire supply chain using multiple SIM cards, forged identities, encrypted social media networks, and legitimate business fronts such as textile shops to mask illicit activities. To apprehend him, the Tamil Nadu police conducted 10 days of intensive surveillance in Delhi and Noida, coordinating with Delhi Police for raids that ultimately led to his arrest. During the operation, authorities seized multiple mobile phones containing extensive data on supply networks spanning Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and several North-Eastern states. Bende was subsequently brought to Tiruvallur and remanded to judicial custody on November 6.

A parallel investigation uncovered that parts of the cartel were coordinated from within Puzhal Prison near Chennai. Foreign prisoners established contacts with local convicts, who, upon release, acted as key operatives in the distribution network. One such operative, 31-year-old Matheen Ahmed, recently released from Puzhal, became a crucial link between foreign suppliers and local peddlers. The inquiry revealed that Bende maintained contact with a foreign national in Puzhal Prison, actively orchestrating drug trafficking from inside the facility.

The final phase of the crackdown saw the arrests of two drug carriers on November 26: Mohammad Afrath (22), operating along the Bengaluru–Chennai route, and Mohammed Abdullah Asha (28), who used a route through Andhra Pradesh. These arrests effectively disrupted the operational capabilities of the cartel, cutting off distribution channels and dismantling its interstate network.

The investigation highlighted the cartel’s multi-layered and compartmentalized structure, ensuring that most stakeholders in the supply chain remained unaware of each other’s identities. The use of technology, encrypted communication, and GPS-based drop points allowed the cartel to operate with minimal direct contact, demonstrating a level of sophistication that posed significant challenges to law enforcement.

Inspector General Asra Garg stated, “We continue to dismantle such inter-state and international drug cartels through intensive investigation and coordinated field operations. This case underscores the importance of collaboration across states and with central agencies to tackle organized crime networks that exploit borders and legal loopholes.”

The successful operation marks a significant achievement for the Tamil Nadu police in combating the supply and distribution of synthetic drugs, particularly methamphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine, and highlights the evolving methods used by traffickers to target urban populations. By combining surveillance, intelligence gathering, and inter-state coordination, the police were able to neutralize a dangerous network and prevent the further spread of narcotics in the region.