Three Africans were, on Monday, arrested at Hyderabad in India on Monday by the Telangana Prohibition and Excise Department for allegedly carrying 254 grams of cocaine, which they planned to sell in the city.

The accused were identified as Pascal, an Ivory Coast citizen, Ugochukwu Chima and Okorouchenna Samuel, both from Nigeria. Three others, including one Lucky, who supplied the drugs, have been identified but are yet to be arrested.

Officials said that based on a tip-off, they raided a residence in Golconda, where the accused were staying and packing the drugs, before selling them.

“Lucky supplies drugs brought from Nigeria. He co-ordinates in Mumbai and with another Nigerian Abuka who resides in Bengaluru and supplies drugs from there to Zadi Pascal in Hyderabad. In this case, three have been arrested. Accused Lucky, Abuka and Dondi are yet to be arrested,” Deputy Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise in Hyderabad, C Vivekananda Reddy, told ANI.

The accused were selling each gram of cocaine for Rs 6,000, investigation officials said.

“The three accused who were nabbed by the excise cops came to India in 2015 and 2016 on a business visa which is valid for only six months. After it expired, they were staying illegally,” officials told reporters.

The police also seized Rs 3,20,000 in cash, which are estimated to be the profits from selling the cocaine.

READ ALSO:  Giant tent collapses during religious festival in India, kills 14, leaves 50 injured [Graphic video]

Also in April this year, sleuths of the Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force, West Zone Team busted a drug racket with the arrest of a Nigerian national, who was found dealing cocaine and Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). The police seized 20 grams of cocaine and 9 MDMA pills.

The police said that the accused, identified as Jaun Paul was a native of Lagos state in Nigeria and had first come to Kerala in India in October 2008 on a visiting visa and later shifted to Hyderabad  in 2015.