NDLEA arrests auto parts dealer shipping cocaine to Congo
…Seizes large consignments of opioids, cocaine, cannabis in multiple operations
By Adeyanju Esther
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Mrs. Adewunmi Adebola Dorcas, a businesswoman from Ibadan, Oyo State, and Arinze Ora, an auto parts dealer. Mrs. Dorcas was detained for attempting to export consignments of opioids to London, United Kingdom, while Ora was arrested for trying to ship cocaine to Congo-Brazzaville.
The NDLEA reported that on Friday, September 6, 2024, its officers at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos intercepted a cargo destined for the United Kingdom.
The seized shipment contained 924 bottles of codeine-based syrup, weighing 135.70 kilograms, and 5,250 tablets of Rohypnol, which were concealed within cartons of foodstuffs. The drugs were discovered following a meticulous search by the agency.
This information was released on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja.
The freight agent, Owojori Olanrewaju Sunday, who presented the cargo for export, was promptly arrested. Further investigation revealed another suspect, Adewunmi Akeem Temitope, who claimed that his mother, 58-year-old Mrs. Adewunmi Adebola Dorcas, had sent the consignment from Ibadan for delivery to the agent.
A follow-up operation on Saturday, September 7, led to the arrest of Mrs. Adewunmi in Ibadan, where she is involved in foodstuffs and cargo export.
In his statement, Babafemi noted that the freight agent, Owojori Olanrewaju Sunday, confessed to having been working for Mrs. Adewunmi Adebola Dorcas to export cargoes to the UK. Owojori revealed that he was paid N2,411,000 for the recent job and had previously received N2.1 million for handling a similar consignment for the businesswoman.
On Wednesday, September 11, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport’s export shed intercepted cartons of auto spare parts and checkers powder custard destined for Congo-Brazzaville via Ethiopian Airlines.
A thorough search revealed 300 grams of cocaine concealed within the checkers powder custard containers packed alongside the auto parts. This led to the arrest of Arinze Ora, the sender, who operates an auto parts business at Shop 12, Block 7, Aspanda Trade Fair Auto Parts Wing, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.
In a related operation, NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit arrested two brothers, Ikechukwu and Ugochukwu Ikeabba, on Tuesday, September 10. The brothers were identified as sponsors of drug traffickers specialising in drug smuggling by ingestion to Vietnam.
Their arrest followed the investigation of an earlier case involving Onitsha-based businessman Ibeanusi Solomon Nosike, who, after being detained at the Lagos airport on August 8, excreted 68 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.282 kilograms over 12 days.
Also, Paul Okwuy Mbadugha, a 54-year-old businessman bound for Vietnam, was arrested at the Abuja airport on Monday, August 12. Mbadugha was caught during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Hanoi via Doha. After testing positive for cocaine ingestion, he was observed for four days and eventually egested 88 wraps of cocaine, totaling 1.710 kilograms
At the time of the arrest of the two kingpins, the Ikeabba brothers, they were caught with 87 wraps of cocaine dummies used in training intending swallowers.
In Gombe State, NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, arrested three suspects—Auwal Abdullahi, Isah Rabiu, and Abubakar Da’u—on Saturday, September 14. They were travelling in a DAF truck marked GME 552 ZU along the Bauchi-Gombe road. A search of the vehicle uncovered 2,490,000 pills of tramadol concealed within bags of salt.
In Kaduna State, 23-year-old Idris Adamu was arrested on Tuesday, September 10, with 41.5 kilograms of cannabis sativa in Kachia town. Additionally, in Ekiti State, two suspects—Godiya Sekyen Jikuk, 36, and Yusuf Umaru, 65—were detained on Wednesday, September 11, with a total of 73.6 kilograms of cannabis in Isinbode-Ekiti.
On Thursday, September 13, in Bauchi State, NDLEA operatives seized 208,920 pills of tramadol and diazepam from suspect Chinedu Asadu, 35. In Lagos State, two suspects—Abba Abdullahi and Mustapha Yahaya—were arrested on Tuesday, September 10, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, with 104 kilograms of cannabis.
On Tuesday, September 10, NDLEA operatives, working with Customs and other agencies, seized nearly 350,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup in two containers from India at the Tincan Port in Lagos.
Meanwhile, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) with outreach activities in schools, religious centres, and communities across Nigeria.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), NDLEA Chairman/CEO, praised the efforts of the agency’s commands and urged them to persist in their drug supply and demand reduction efforts.
