2.2 kg of amphetamine seized from a Nigerian national | Coimbatore News

Coimbatore: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested a Nigerian national at Coimbatore Junction train station here on Sunday evening and seized 2.2 kg of amphetamine from him. The value of the drug seized ranges from Rs 90 lakh to Rs 1.10 crore on the international market.
According to a press release issued Monday by Amit Ghawate, Area Manager, NCB, Chennai Control Unit, a team from NCB, Madurai Subzone, intercepted Nigerian national Edwin Kingsely, 42, at Coimbatore train station on Sunday and seized 2.2 kg of white crystals believed to be amphetamines.
A mainstay of the union and involved in drug trafficking for the past three years, Kingsely was traveling the Kerala Express from Delhi. It is suspected that the seized amphetamine was purchased in Delhi. The contraband was concealed in eight small packages wrapped in carbon paper.
Amit Ghawate said in the statement that the involvement of African nationals, especially Nigerians, in the trafficking of narcotics and synthetic drugs is increasing. Coimbatore, Salem, Erode and Tirupur have become hubs for African nationals.
Tirupur being a textile hub is frequented by African nationals under the guise of engaging in textiles. He said amphetamine is made from ephedrine / pseudoephedrine, a substance controlled under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 (NDPS). It affects the central nervous system and is increasingly used as a rave party drug.