Estimated reading time: 6 minute(s)
Quadri Yahya
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Monday, busted major warehouse located in Ikorodu area of Lagos State and seized 1,855 kilograms of illicit drugs worth billions of naira.
The NDLEA stated that four drug barons, Soji Jibril, 69, Emmanuel Chukwu, 65, Wasiu Akinade, Sunday Oguntelure, 53 and Kelvin Smith, 42, a native of Kingston, Jamaica were arrested during the operation.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babayemi made thus known in a statement made available by PLATFORM TIMES.
Babayemi explained that the arrested suspects were members of an international drug syndicate that the Agency has been trailing since 2018.
The statement reads in part, “In what appears to be the biggest singular cocaine seizure in the history of Nigeria’s premier anti-narcotic agency, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have busted a major warehouse in a secluded estate in Ikorodu area of Lagos where 1.8tons (1,855 kilograms) of the illicit drug worth more than Two Hundred and Seventy Eight Million Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($278, 250,000) equivalent of about One Hundred and Ninety Four Billion, Seven Hundred and Seventy Five Million (N194, 775,000,000) Naira in street value were seized.
The NDLEA boss noted that the operatives raided the warehouse on 18th September, 2020, while the barons were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between Sunday night and Monday 19th September.
“Preliminary investigation reveals the class A drugs were warehoused in the residential estate from where the cartel was trying to sell them to buyers in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. They were stored in 10 travel bags and 13 drums.
“While commending all the officers and men of the Agency involved in the extensive investigation including those of the American Drug Enforcement Administration, (US-DEA), Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) said the bust is a historical blow to the drug cartels and a strong warning that they’ll all go down if they fail to realise that the game has changed”, the statement reads.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s)
FOOTNOTE: Do you want to share a story with us? Do you want to advertise with us? Do you need publicity for a product, service, or event? Contact us on WhatsApp +2348183319097 or email: platformtimes@gmail.com