NDLEA foils drug syndicates’ attempt to export illicit substances disguised as jeans trousers, dolls
…Uncovers Methamphetamine concealed in buttons
…Intercepts vehicle transporting 8,000 bottles of codeine syrup
…Busts drug operation in Delta, seizes 542.3kg of cannabis
By Sodiq Adelakun and Fatai Kasali
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully foiled attempts by drug syndicates to smuggle illicit substances through courier firms in Lagos.
The agency’s operatives discovered methamphetamine and opioids hidden in various items such as new jeans trousers, dolls, buttons, local soap, and tins of milo beverage. The drugs were intended to be exported to Europe, the United Arab Emirates, and Asia. The NDLEA’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted several consignments at courier houses in Lagos.
These included tramadol 225mg concealed in the hems of new jeans trousers destined for Cyprus, cannabis sativa hidden in the heads of dolls bound for Dubai, sachets of tramadol 225mg buried in tins of milo beverage heading to the UAE, and another shipment of the same drug hidden in local soap also destined for the UAE.
Additionally, a consignment of methamphetamine concealed in buttons was intercepted en route to Hong Kong. In another operation, the NDLEA intercepted a shipment of illicit substances originating from Florida, USA, at a courier firm. The recipient, Daniel Ogi, was tracked by NDLEA officers and subsequently arrested at his residence on 5 Akeem Shittu Street, Ajao Estate, Lagos, on November 24th, 2023.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
Announcing the interceptions and seizures made by the NDLEA, Babafemi disclosed that NDLEA 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. He was arrested at Blue Moon Hotel in Okota area of Lagos with 60 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.009 kilograms.
Babafemi also announced that the agency, similarly in another operation in Lagos, operatives recovered 393kg of cannabis in a shop at Akala, Mushin, on Friday, December 1st, 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, December 1st, with 154 parcels weighing 92kg.
He added that a team of NDLEA operatives also intercepted a vehicle at Oyingbo area of Lagos and recovered 108kg 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.
Making further disclosures, he said, “In Edo, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 29th November stormed the Ujiogba forest, Esan West LGA where they recovered 5,988 kilograms of cannabis already processed and ready for distribution while a 22-year-old, Mson Bunde, (a.k.a Tete Peter Joseph) found in a hut on the cannabis farm was arrested.
“No less than 120,000 capsules of tramadol concealed in new sound systems packed in a Jos, Plateau state-bound bus were seized by NDLEA officers acting on intelligence along Onitsha-Awka road, Anambra state on Monday 27th Nov. While 123 blocks of cannabis weighing 73kg 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, NDLEA officers arrested Ahmad Umar, 18, with 46.4kg cannabis at a checkpoint in Kabba, while Jamilu Zakari, 32, was nabbed at Kofar Idi, Kandahar, Bauchi town, Bauchi state with 125 blocks of same substance that weighed 146kg. At least, 542.3kg 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 125.9kg of same substance were also seized from a store in the same area.”
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reported the seizure of over 2,050 kilograms of illicit drugs in various operations across nine states in Nigeria.
The drugs seized include cannabis, cocaine, heroin, and tramadol. The Director of Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that the operations were carried out by the Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Gombe, FCT, Kaduna, Kogi, Bauchi, and Delta Commands of the Agency, as well as the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI).
Babafemi also revealed that 192 drug offenders were arrested during the operations, and that the Agency had intensified its advocacy lectures on drug demand reduction, in addition to its drug supply reduction activities.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers and men of the various commands for their outstanding feats in the past week, and applauded their efforts in intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.
