A 25-year-old Nigerian woman, Ifeoluwa Akinwunmi, is facing a possible 20-year prison sentence in India after allegedly being caught with drugs valued at over N1.8 billion.

Akinwunmi, said to be a hairstylist and nail technician, was arrested last Tuesday by officers of the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru.

She was taken into custody at Tarahunase village on Rajanukunte Main Road after arriving from Delhi with a suspicious-looking bag.

Reports indicate that the bag contained 5.325 kilograms of MDMA crystals, a banned synthetic drug often used at parties. The illicit substance was concealed within 11 new churidars, a type of traditional Indian clothing.

“She is a courier. She came to deliver the drugs to a group of African dealers. We observed four men on two scooters nearby, but they didn’t take the package. Akinwunmi was apprehended while she stood with the bag,” an officer involved in the operation stated.

The suspect reportedly told authorities that she traveled to India with the intention of opening a beauty salon. She is currently facing charges under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985, and the Foreigners Act of 1946.

The NDPS Act imposes harsh penalties for those caught importing, exporting, or transporting prohibited drugs. Section 23 of the Act stipulates a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to 20 years imprisonment for individuals found with commercial quantities of narcotics, along with substantial fines.

It states: “Where the contravention involves commercial quantity, [the offender shall be punished] with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than ten years but which may extend to twenty years and shall also be liable to a fine which shall not be less than one lakh rupees but which may extend to two lakh rupees.”

Under the Foreigners Act, the Indian government also has the power to prosecute and deport foreign nationals found guilty of crimes.

This arrest comes just two days after another Nigerian citizen, Emmanuel Bediako (alias Maxwell), was also detained by the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau for suspected drug trafficking.