Delhi Police Probe Money Trail After Busting Swaroop Nagar Drug Factory
Following the bust of a suspected drug manufacturing unit in Swaroop Nagar, Outer Delhi, investigators from the Delhi Police, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), and the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) have launched a financial probe to trace the money trail and uncover a wider drug trafficking network. The joint investigation, which intensified on June 13, 2026, follows the raid at the facility the previous day.
The two accused arrested during the raid, identified as Didier Romeo and Martin Ajva, have been remanded to three days of police custody. According to Raja Banthia, DCP North, Romeo arrived in India in 2021 on a business visa, while Ajva arrived in 2023 on a medical visa.
During the raid on June 12, 2026, a Nigerian woman identified as Stella Pius died after allegedly jumping from the fourth-floor balcony of the building as police teams entered her flat. She was immediately taken to a government hospital in Burari, where she was declared brought dead. Police stated that the embassy has been informed, and a post-mortem examination will be conducted once approval is received.
Officers recovered a large quantity of chemicals and manufacturing equipment from the site. The seized materials included 192 grams of MDMA, approximately 100 litres of unidentified chemical substances, 10 litres of hydrochloric acid, and 15.5 litres of hypophosphorous acid across 31 bottles. Additionally, police seized 35.5 kilograms of white powder, 21 kilograms of black granules, and 4.1 kilograms of black liquid, along with heating mantles, distillation units, weighing machines, and a gas cylinder. Samples of the substances have been sent for forensic testing.
According to investigators, the Swaroop Nagar bust was initiated based on leads from an earlier arrest. On June 9, 2026, the Anti-Narcotics Cell arrested Frank Dashmond, a Nigerian national, in the Chandan Vihar area of Burari after recovering 67.9 grams of MDMA from his possession. Information revealed during Dashmond's interrogation led police to the Swaroop Nagar facility.
Police are now working to establish the source of the chemicals, how they were procured, and the full scale of the operation.
