TheCable

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have intercepted illicit substances bound for Europe, United Arab Emirates and Asia. 

In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the illicit substances included various quantities of methamphetamine and opioids concealed in hems of new jeans trousers, dolls, buttons, local soap and tins of milo beverage.

According to Babafemi, the operation was carried out by operatives of the directorate of operations and general investigation (DOGI) at courier houses in Lagos state.

He said some of the items seized included tramadol 225mg concealed in hems of new jeans trousers heading to Cyprus; shipment of cannabis sativa hidden in heads of dolls going to Dubai; sachets of tramadol 225mg buried in tins of milo beverage going to UAE; and another set of same drug hidden in local soap also going to UAE.

Others were a consignment of methamphetamine concealed in buttons heading to Hong Kong; and a shipment of another illicit substance coming from Florida, USA.

“Operatives in Lagos on Friday 1st December also arrested a drug kingpin, Okechukwu Ogala, 56, who specialises in exploiting and recruiting young citizens to export meth to Asian countries,” Babafemi said.

“He was arrested at Blue Moon Hotel in Okota area of Lagos with 60 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.009 kilograms.

“In another operation in Lagos, operatives on Friday 1st December recovered 393kgs of cannabis in a shop at Akala, Mushin while a suspect, Justin Enuonye, who deals in Canadian Loud was arrested by the police at Victoria Island and transferred to Lagos Command of NDLEA on Friday 1st December with 154 parcels weighing 92kgs.

“A team of NDLEA operatives also intercepted a vehicle at Oyingbo area of Lagos and recovered 108kgs of cannabis from it, while 675 kilograms of the same substance were recovered from the store of a wanted dealer, Wahab Olota at Adedoja area of Mushin, Lagos.”

CANNABIS, TRAMADOL, CODEINE SEIZED IN EDO, ANAMBRA, KADUNA AND DELTA

Babafemi said in Edo state, the agency recovered 5,988 kilograms of cannabis already processed and ready for distribution on November 29, and arrested a 22-year-old found in a hut on the cannabis farm.

“No less than 120,000 capsules of tramadol concealed in new sound systems packed in a Jos, Plateau state-bound were seized by NDLEA officers acting on intelligence along Onitsha-Awka road, Anambra state on Monday 27th Nov,” he added.

“While 123 blocks of cannabis weighing 73kgs were recovered from a suspect, Abdullahi Muhammad Bello along Gombe-Bauchi road, Gombe state on Wednesday 29th Nov, operatives in Abuja seized 168 blocks of same psychoactive substance with a total weight of 101kgs from the store of a fleeing drug dealer in Kabusa area of the FCT.

“No fewer than 8,000 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered by NDLEA operatives on Friday 1st December when they intercepted a vehicle transporting the opioid along Abuja- Kaduna road, with the driver, Shamsu Isiyaku and his conductor, Muhammad Maina arrested. Same day, operatives also arrested Ernest Esechie, 30, with 44.4 kilograms of compressed cannabis sativa along Gwantu- Sanga road, Kaduna.”

In Kogi, the officers arrested one Ahmad Umar with 46.4kgs cannabis at a check point in Kabba, while one Jamilu Zakari was nabbed at Kofar Idi, Kandahar, Bauchi town, Bauchi state with 125 blocks of same substance that weighed 146kgs.

“At least, 542.3kgs of cannabis were recovered from a suspect, Festus Egeogoli, 32, when his base at Jakpa road, Warri, Delta state was raided by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 29th Nov, while 125.9kgs of same substance were also seized from a store in the same area,” he said.