The operation followed arrest of two persons - Thrissur resident M Sanjay Sunil Kumar and Manikonda resident T Bhanu Teja Reddy - who disclosed they bought drugs from Nigerian nationals in Bangalore, said CV Anand, director of Telangana State Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TS-NAB).

Nigerian nationals in the net included Agbowo Maxwell Nnabuisi, Okeke Chigozie Blessing, Ikem Austin Obaka and P Sai Akesh, but they are yet to disclose how they sourced the drugs.

"The kingpin, Maxwell, came to Mumbai in 2011 on a medical visa. After a few months, he moved to Bangalore and changed his identity. In 2012, Blessing came to Mumbai on a business visa and moved to Tripur in Tamil Nadu. A decade later, Blessing touched down in Bangalore and began staying with Maxwell. Austin too came to India on student visa and took shelter in Bangalore in 2021," said CV Anand. After reaching Bangalore, Maxwell created a fake passport in the name of Kweku Essuman Kwame. Using the fake passport as document, he rented a house in MS Nagar in Bangalore and took an internet connection and used it as a hub for peddling drugs along with his friend Mazee," police said. The African used virtual phone numbers to avoid detection.

"Maxwell and Mazee opened a bank account in Coimbatore, in 2020. They would ask their customers to credit money in bank account to supply the drugs," Anand said, adding 4 crore was deposited in the account in six months. Police officials are analysing transactions to trace other people involved in the offence.