In a major blow to international drug trafficking, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized cocaine shipments hidden inside lipsticks and property title documents destined for the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.
NDLEA officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) uncovered the consignments on Thursday, July 3, in Lagos.
The drugs were found in cargo being prepared for shipment at a local courier company.
According to a statement sent to Persecondnews on Sunday in Abuja by Mr Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, a total of 420 grammes of cocaine, factory-fitted into 84 pieces of female lipsticks bound for the UK, were seized, while 280 grammes of the same Class A drug were uncovered in a property title document (Certificate of Occupancy, C of O) being sent to Saudi Arabia.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives dismantled a drug trafficking network in a three-day operation, culminating in the arrest of notorious drug kingpin Ajetsibo Emami, alias ‘Warri Kinsman’, in Ikeja, Lagos, on Saturday, June 28, along with three other suspects.
Recovered from Emami’s network were 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 414.2 kilogrammes.
The bust followed credible intelligence regarding his attempt to transport the shipment to the Lekki area of Lagos, from where it would be distributed to other parts of the state and across the country.
In another operation, businessman Ajah Johnson Uchenna, his wife Rosemary Uchenna, their two daughters, Stella Uchenna and Ngozi Uchenna, and family friend Okoro Elijah were taken into custody following an investigation that revealed they operated a major illicit drug distribution network in Lagos.
The couple was initially arrested on Friday, June 13, by operatives from the Department of State Security (DSS) in the Ojo area of the state and subsequently transferred to the NDLEA along with 277.5 kg of skunk.
While they were still under investigation in custody, credible intelligence emerged revealing that the family business was continuing at their residence.
This prompted a raid on their home and a storage facility, where a further 231 kilogrammes of the same substance was recovered on Tuesday, July 1.
Three individuals arrested during the raid included their two daughters, Ngozi Uchenna and Blessing Uchenna, as well as family friend Okoro Elijah, who had been managing the family business in the couple’s absence.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport(MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted a frequent flyer, Aburemi Hysent, on Wednesday, July 2.
Hysent, who specialises in transporting goods for customers from Nigeria to Italy and vice versa, was found to have concealed 7,660 pills of tramadol (225mg and 200mg) within food items packed among other goods he was shipping to Italy.
He claimed he was due to receive 800 euros upon successful delivery of the drug consignment in Italy.
In a separate interdiction operation at Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted 52 pieces of traveller’s cheques, concealed within children’s books, valued at 17,700,000 Australian dollars, on Friday, July 4.
The cheques, suspected to be counterfeit, were bound for Malaysia via Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight and were seized at the airport’s export shed.
A freight agent, Bolarinwa Saheed, was arrested and will be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
The statement reads: “Meanwhile, NDLEA officers at the Seme border in Badagry recovered 718 large balls of skunk, weighing 359 kilogrammes, from a storage facility in the Baba-Pupa area of the border community on Saturday, July 5.
“In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway intercepted 10,000 pills of tramadol (225mg) and co-codamol, as well as 1.050 kilogrammes of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
“Follow-up operations led to the arrest of the owners of the waybilled drug consignments: Chinedu Odo, Samuel Ogbonna, and Kingsley Ugaji at Jabi Park in Abuja.
“In Osun state, two suspects, Agunbiade Folusho, 40, and Suleiman Dasola, 28, were arrested in the Ajegunle area of Osogbo on Thursday, July 3, with 13,901 pills and ampoules of various opioids recovered from them. Meanwhile, another suspect, Adebayo Adewale, 50, was apprehended at a patent medicine shop on Arubidi Street, Ile-Ife, with 48,205 pills of opioids.
“A raid on a vulcaniser workshop at Akindeko Junction, Alekuwodo area of Osogbo, on Tuesday, July 1, resulted in the arrest of three suspects: Wasiu Ajadi, 45; Babatunde Jamiu Ojo, 35; and Yusuf Sarafadeen, 39. The suspects were found in possession of 1,250 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 850 pills of tramadol, and three bottles of codeine-based syrup.
“On Thursday, 3 July, NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis farm at Ikaka, Oke-Ila forest, Osun State, destroying not less than 24,175 kilogrammes of skunk on 9.67 hectares of farmland. Seven suspects were arrested: Bunmi Adedapo, 41; Adebisi Sodiq, 26; Babatunde Gani, 22; John Sunday, 30; Israel Odabe, 29; Solomon Odabe, 21; and Prosper Odabe, 23.
“Meanwhile, in Borno, 167 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered at Gamboru-Ngala. Additionally, 452 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance were seized at Gadar Tamburawa along the Zaria-Kano road, leading to the arrest of two suspects: Nasuru Saleh and Mustapha Muhammad.”
The statement further reads: “NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway recovered 11,000 pills of tramadol (225mg) from Sule Ibrahim Sadiq, 30, on Thursday, July 3. Meanwhile, their counterparts in Sokoto arrested 62-year-old Joseph Onungene in connection with the seizure of 4,800 pills of tramadol (225mg).
“In Kebbi state, operatives raided the Bakin Kasuwa Yauri base, seizing 312 kilogrammes of skunk and 10,000 tablets of diazepam. Separately, Chigbo Okolo, 52, and Ishaku Musa, 28, were arrested on Saturday, July 5, with 49,930 capsules of tramadol at Mallum, Ardo-Kola local council area of Taraba state.
“In Edo state, NDLEA operatives raided the Ewere forest in Owan West LGA, arresting a wanted suspect, Alaba Monday, 49, in one of his cannabis farms, where 115 kilogrammes of processed skunk were seized. Three other suspects, Shamsu Abdullahi, Peter Egboko, and Justin John, were apprehended in a separate farm measuring 2.050201 hectares.
“Meanwhile, in Cross River state, a 78-year-old suspect, Mike Abeng, was arrested with 14.49 kilogrammes of skunk and tramadol during a raid at Ofudua, Obubra LGA. Additional suspects arrested with various quantities of illicit substances during the operation included Oyom Akam, 50; Sylvester Odem, 40; and Moses Ayo, 50, who were apprehended at Ovonum, Obubra LGA.”
The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands continued nationwide over the past week.
Notable events included WADA sensitisation lectures delivered to students and staff at Queen of Angel Secondary School, Mgbidi, Awgu, Enugu state; Divine Purpose College, Eyita, Ikorodu, Lagos; Al-Furqan College, Kankia, Katsina; and to residents of Gomari Binta Suga community in Maiduguri, Borno state, among others.
The Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers and men of DOGI, MMIA, Lagos, Seme, Kogi, Osun, Borno, Kano, Edo, Kaduna, Cross River, Kebbi and Taraba Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week
He also praised their counterparts in all commands nationwide for striking a balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
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