The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has uncovered and dismantled a major drug trafficking syndicate allegedly sponsoring Hajj pilgrims to serve as cocaine couriers to Saudi Arabia, arresting three key members of the cartel in Kano.
Spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday that the crackdown followed the arrest of two suspected drug mules, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during outward clearance for an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah on May 26.
Babafemi disclosed that both suspects were intercepted during final screening after operatives received actionable intelligence.
Upon scanning, they tested positive for ingestion of illicit drugs and were placed under observation.
Each suspect excreted 45 wraps of cocaine, amounting to a total of 90 pellets weighing 1.04 kilograms.
“Intensive investigation led to the arrest of three major kingpins behind the operation — Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba — in a coordinated operation across Kano on May 27 and 28,” the NDLEA stated.
In a related operation at the same airport, a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, was arrested on May 28 while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Iran.
A body scan revealed he had ingested drugs. He later excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg.
Meanwhile, in Rivers State, NDLEA operatives in collaboration with Customs and other agencies uncovered a cache of narcotics at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne.
Between May 28 and 30, seven containers were examined, leading to the seizure of 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and trodol with a street value of ₦5.78 billion.
Additionally, 5.1 million pills of opioids, including Tapentadol 225mg valued at ₦3.57 billion, were also confiscated. The total street value of the seizure was put at ₦9.35 billion.
In Kano again, on May 30, NDLEA officers intercepted Abubakar Hussein, 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53, along the Kano-Maiduguri Road with $900,000 suspected to be counterfeit.
The suspects are being handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation.
Similarly, a separate operation in Ilorin, Kwara State, led to the arrest of a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, at the Oja Oba area. Various quantities of tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup were recovered from her.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), commended the efforts of the agency’s operatives and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks exploiting religious pilgrimage and other routes for illicit trade.
He reiterated the agency’s warning that no route — air, land, or sea — is safe for drug traffickers, urging the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities.
'
'
'
'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
