The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has thwarted attempts by drug syndicates to export various illicit substances, including methamphetamine and opioids, concealed in hems of jeans trousers, dolls, buttons, local soap and tins of beverage to Europe, United Arab Emirate and Asia.
A statement yesterday by the spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said some of the consignments were intercepted at courier houses in Lagos. They include tramadol 225mg concealed in hems of new jeans trousers heading to Cyprus; cannabis sativa hidden in heads of dolls going to Dubai, UAE; and sachets of tramadol 225mg buried in tins of milo beverage going to UAE.
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He said another set of tramadol hidden in local soap also going to UAE, as well as a consignment of methamphetamine concealed in buttons heading to Hong Kong, were also intercepted.
According to Babafemi, a shipment of illicit substance coming from Florida, USA, was equally intercepted at a courier firm, while the recipient, Daniel Ogi, was arrested at 5, Akeem Shittu Street, Ajao Estate, on November 24.
The statement reads: “Operatives in Lagos, on December 1, also arrested a drug kingpin, Okechukwu Ogala (56), who specialises in exploiting and recruiting young persons to export meth to Asian countries. He was arrested at Blue Moon Hotel, Okota, with 60 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.009 kilograms.
“In another operation in Lagos on December 1, operatives 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 the Lagos Command of NDLEA on December 1 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.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives on November 29, stormed the Ujiogba forest, Esan West council, and recovered 5,988 kilograms of cannabis already processed and ready for distribution. 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 on the Onitsha-Awka road, Anambra State on November 27, while 123 blocks of cannabis weighing 73kgs were recovered from a suspect, Abdullahi Muhammad Bello, along Gombe-Bauchi road, Gombe State, on November 29. 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 December 1 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 46.4kgs cannabis at a check point in Kabba, while Jamilu Zakari, 32, 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.