A 25-year-old Nigerian woman, Ifeoluwa Akinwunmi, could face up to 20 years in prison in India after allegedly being found with drugs valued at over ₦1.8 billion.

Akinwunmi, said to be a hairstylist and nail artist, was arrested last Tuesday by officers from the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru. She was taken into custody at Tarahunase village along Rajanukunte Main Road, shortly after arriving from Delhi with a suspicious-looking bag.

As reported by The New Indian Express, the bag was found to contain 5.325 kilograms of MDMA crystals, a banned party drug. The illegal substance was hidden inside 11 new churidars—traditional Indian garments.

“She acted as a courier. Her mission was to deliver the drugs to a network of African peddlers. Although we spotted four men on two scooters nearby, they did not collect the package. We arrested Akinwunmi while she stood with the bag,” an officer involved in the bust said.

Akinwunmi claimed she had travelled to India to set up a beauty salon. She is now being prosecuted under India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985 and the Foreigners Act of 1946.

Under Section 23 of the NDPS Act, anyone caught importing, exporting, or transporting narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances faces strict penalties. Possession of a commercial quantity like the MDMA found on Akinwunmi attracts a mandatory minimum of 10 years’ imprisonment, which could extend to 20 years, along with a hefty fine of at least one lakh rupees, potentially up to two lakh rupees.

Additionally, the Foreigners Act empowers the Indian government to prosecute and deport foreigners involved in crime.

Her arrest occurred just two days after another Nigerian, Emmanuel Bediako (aka Maxwell), was detained by the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau over similar drug trafficking allegations.