A Special Court for Essential Commodities (EC) Act cases in Coimbatore, India, has sentenced a Nigerian citizen, James, alias Emmanuel Chukwunonso Samson, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for his role in an international drug trafficking network. He was also fined ₹1 lakh.

The case dates back to July 17, 2012, when officers of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Chennai Zonal Unit, acting on a tip-off, intercepted three suspicious parcels at a courier facility in Chennai.

The parcels — concealed inside ladies’ handbags, car gasket boxes, and embroidery materials — were bound for West Africa, Australia, and Spain. Upon inspection, officials uncovered 1.195 kilograms of heroin and 200 grams of methaqualone, a banned sedative-hypnotic. The haul was valued at over ₹2 crore in the international market.

Subsequent investigations led to James’ arrest in Erode, where agents also seized an additional four kilograms of ganja (marijuana) from his possession.

After more than a decade of legal proceedings, the Coimbatore court on September 20, 2025, found him guilty of participating in the transnational smuggling ring and imposed the decade-long sentence.

Following the judgment, the NCB urged citizens to report drug-related activities via the national helpline MANAS – 1933, assuring whistleblowers of confidentiality