Telangana Eagle Force cracks Rs 3 crore drug hawala network
HYDERABAD: Telangana’s Eagle Force has dismantled a major drug money laundering racket linked to Nigerian cartels, arresting 20 people and seizing ₹3.08 crore in cash on Tuesday. The operation followed the arrest of Nigerian national Onyeisi Esomchi Kenneth alias Maxwell alias Emmanuel Bediako, who was caught earlier this year in Rachakonda for peddling cocaine and ecstasy. Investigators found that Maxwell had earned more than ₹68 lakh as commission in a year, which was routed through hawala channels to his wife, brother-in-law and associates abroad.
Hawala network exposed
Further probe led to the unmasking of a hawala syndicate headed by Uttam Singh, Chetan Mamania, Durga Ram, Chetan Singh and Chagan Lal. Officials said Singh collected around ₹25 lakh daily from Nigerians in Goa, routing nearly ₹2.1 crore weekly through hawala operators.
The money was adjusted in commodity trade and handed over to Nigerian groups in Mumbai. Using these funds, Nigerians purchased merchandise such as baby frocks, kurtas, T-shirts, human hair and groceries, which were shipped by sea cargo from Mumbai and Chennai to Lagos. The crackdown involved 24 special Eagle teams conducting raids across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa and Delhi. Among those arrested was Chetan Mavji Mamania, described as the main hawala kingpin, from whom ₹8.4 lakh was seized. Another accused, Ronak Prajapathi, had ₹2.85 crore seized from his Mumbai office.
Cartel methods and fake identities
Since 2010, 323 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Telangana have led to the arrest of 353 foreign nationals, most of them Nigerians. Despite repeated crackdowns, officials said cartels continue to smuggle cocaine from Latin America to Europe and synthetic drugs such as MDMA, ecstasy and LSD from Europe into India.
Eagle Force has busted a ₹3 crore drug money hawala racket tied to Nigerian cartels. 20 people arrested in raids across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa & Delhi. Nigerians used fake passports, hawala & sea cargo to move drug profits. #Hyderabad #Telangana #DrugBust pic.twitter.com/flDDE3ovD6
— Hyderabad Mail (@Hyderabad_Mail) September 9, 2025
Eagle Force also highlighted the use of multiple passports and fake identities. Maxwell reportedly used three passports – two Nigerian and one Ghanaian. Others, including Onyeohani Collins alias Daniel Morgan and Chukwumeka Wisdom Onyeka alias Major Cartel, had Nigerian, South African or Sudanese documents. Several peddlers were deported after being caught with forged travel papers.
Public appeal
Officials warned that Nigerian peddlers operate from luxury villas in Goa and supply drugs to Hyderabad and other cities. They urged house owners to verify the identity of foreign tenants and report suspicious activities to the police. “Merely arresting or deporting foreign peddlers is not enough. Breaking hawala channels, tightening visa and passport checks and strengthening inter-state coordination are critical to counter this menace,” Eagle said in a statement.
The agency also appealed to parents to monitor their children closely and urged youth not to fall prey to drugs. Citizens can report drug-related information to Eagle’s toll-free number 1908, WhatsApp 87126 71111 or email tsnabho-hyd@tspolice.gov.in.
