The Chittoor urban police have arrested a Ugandan national on charges of links with an international synthetic drug trafficking network, in what they described as a breakthrough in a recent drug seizure in the district. She was produced before the district court here and was sent to the Central Jail in Nellore on Thursday (July 30, 2026) night.

The arrest, made in Bengaluru, follows the seizure of 70 grams of synthetic drugs worth about ₹4 lakh near Varigapalle on the outskirts of Chittoor two weeks ago. Two young men, from Vijayawada and Machilipatnam, were caught with the drugs near the APSRTC bus stand. The questioning of the two revealed the role of a Ugandan national, leading to a search for her.

Acting on call records and a money trail, a police team raided a rented apartment in Bengaluru and arrested her, a police official said.

The police said the synthetic drugs were sourced from Latin America, routed through Delhi, and moved to Chennai and Bengaluru before being distributed in Andhra Pradesh. Couriers changed buses along the way to avoid check-posts at the State borders, they said.

According to the police, the supplier shared drop-off points over WhatsApp, and looked over buyers in person before handing over the drugs, to satisfy herself that they were not policemen.

Stayed on after visa lapsed

A police official said the accused had earlier faced drug trafficking charges in Bengaluru, and had continued to stay in India after her visa lapsed, citing the pending cases against her. She was suspected of being part of a larger network operating in metropolitan cities in India. Further arrests are likely soon, a police source said.

The arrest comes days after the Chittoor district police launched a cordon-and-search drive against narcotics across the district, covering 16 locations, in which people with previous drug cases against them were searched and drug detection kits used.