The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Nwankwo Onyebuchi, with 1.55kg of cocaine concealed inside the walls and railings of his luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Onyebuchi, a marble dealer based in Lagos, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal II while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi, India.
The NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, adding that a search of the suspect’s check-in luggage led to the discovery of the cocaine factory-fitted into the bag.
Babafemi said the suspect confessed to selling his marble business and other assets to raise N23m to purchase the consignment, which he allegedly planned to sell in India for as much as N100m.
He said the suspect remained in NDLEA custody and would be prosecuted.
In another major operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse located within a residential compound on Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace area of Okota, where they recovered 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
The agency valued the controlled substance at more than N2.6bn.
The seizure was made between Friday, August 7, and Saturday, August 8, following credible intelligence.
Also in Lagos, operatives raided the residence of a suspected drug kingpin, Shoremi Kayode, 55, at Ogundare Street, Ipaja Estate, Ipaja, where they recovered 324kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, valued at N972m.
Two vehicles, a Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota Corolla, were also recovered from the residence.
The NDLEA said the Lagos seizures formed part of a wider nationwide crackdown that resulted in major drug arrests and recoveries in Kwara, Oyo, Delta, Plateau, Kano and Edo states.
In Kwara, two men, Abubakar Adamu, 50, and Bilyaminu Nuhu, 30, were arrested at the Kam Wire area of Ilorin with 55.96kg of skunk concealed in a truck marked DKA 350 XL.
In Oyo State, Abdulfatai Oyelaran, 70, and Abdulrauf Ajadi, 50, were arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway with 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection.
The drugs were reportedly recovered from their Toyota Sienna vehicle marked FFA-115KA.
In Delta State, operatives intercepted Osaro Ikpoba, 43, and Samuel Godbless, 18, along the Onitsha-Asaba Expressway and recovered 124,100 tramadol pills, 786 bottles of codeine syrup, 2,598 tablets of rohypnol, 4,800 tablets of diazepam, 470 ampoules of pentazocine and 200 ampoules of tramadol injection.
Another suspect, Emeka Tony, 50, was arrested along the Kwale-Ozoro Expressway with 1,244 cartridges and N8m.
In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla along the Riyom-Jos Road and recovered 239,490 capsules of Tramaforce, a brand of tramadol. A suspect, Kasum Sherif, was arrested.
Kano State also recorded major seizures, with six suspects arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road. The agency said 728,958 pills of tramadol, rohypnol and other opioids, alongside 360g of cocaine, 99.8g of methamphetamine, 50 bottles of codeine syrup and 2.7kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, were recovered.
In another operation in Kano, operatives raided Zawaciki Gida Dubu in Kumbotso Local Government Area and recovered 171 blocks of skunk weighing 106.8kg. Two suspects were arrested.
In Edo State, the agency destroyed 4,628.9775kg of skunk from two cannabis farms covering 1.851591 hectares in the Ugboku/Igbanke forest in Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
A 40-year-old suspect, Agholor Elebojie, was arrested during the operation.
Another suspect, Kingsley Anigala, 28, was arrested during a raid on drug joints in Oluku, Benin City, with 25.857kg of Loud and 93g of methamphetamine.
The agency said its War Against Drug Abuse advocacy campaign also continued nationwide, with sensitisation programmes held for students and staff of Madarasatu Sheikh Muhammad Rabi’u Arabic School in Kano and Olomu Junior Secondary School in Ajah, Lagos.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised personnel of the affected commands for what he described as sustained efforts to curb drug trafficking and abuse.
Marwa also commended the agency’s personnel for combining drug supply reduction operations with demand-reduction and public awareness campaigns.
'
'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 Email: platformtimes@gmail.com
We are committed to impactful investigative journalism for human interest and social justice. Your donation will help us tell more stories. Kindly donate any amount HERE
