NDLEA Nab Hairstylist, Dispatch Rider For Allegedly Selling Drug-Laced Chin-Chin To Students, At Parties

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has detained a 20-year-old hair stylist named Josephine Odunu and a 30-year-old dispatch rider named Edesemi Ikporo for allegedly selling and distributing chin-chin laced with illicit drugs to students and at social parties in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the NDLEA spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi, disclosed that officers of the agency on patrol around the Opolo area of Yenagoa intercepted the motorcycle dispatch rider, Edesemi, and recovered 200 grams of chin-chin produced with cannabis sativa and tramadol, which he was on a mission to deliver to a buyer.

He further revealed that a swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of the hairdresser, Josephine, who distributes the drugged chin-chin from the salon where she works in the Kpansia area of Yenagoa.

According to Babafemi, a search of the salon also led to the recovery of 3.00kg, bringing the total weight of the illicit substance seized from the duo to 3.2kg.

He said investigations revealed that they distribute the chin-chin, often laced with cannabis and tramadol, to students and at birthday parties.

He added that while Edesemi handles the delivery to buyers, Josephine is a major distributor for a wanted suspect who produces the drugged chin-chin.

In the same vein, Babafemi disclosed that operatives of the NDLEA in Adamawa State, on Wednesday, March 13, arrested two wanted suspects—Ajim Samuel, aka Boss, 30, and Davidson John Joshua, a.k.a. Dantala, 36—while on their way from Onitsha, Anambra State, where they had gone to buy a consignment of tramadol containing 14,428 pills of the opioid, which they tucked in the body compartments of their black Honda Civic car marked YLA 623 SL.

They were nabbed along the Numan-Jalingo road, and 21 grammes of cannabis and monetary exhibits totaling N19,280 were recovered from them.

The NDLEA statement further read: “A total of 343,000 pills of opioids were seized by NDLEA officers from a suspect, Lawan Abubakar, 33, in Azare town, Katagum, Bauchi State, on Friday, March 15.

“At least 24kg of cannabis was seized from the driver of a transport company, Ikechukwu Obialo, at Sagamu Interchange, Ogun State, by NDLEA operatives on March 13, while in Kano, two suspects, Ali Amadu, 27, and Adamu Hassan, 33, were nabbed with a total of 125.3kg of cannabis, 3,400 pills of tramadol, and 30 bottles of codeine syrup.

“While 118 kg of cannabis were recovered from a warehouse in the Masaka area of Nasarawa State on Saturday, March 16th, NDLEA operatives in Edo State on Thursday, March 14th arrested a suspect, Kole Samuel, 50, with 75kg of the same psychoactive substance at the market area, Otuo, Owan East LGA.

“Same day, operatives raided the Oloma-Okpe forest in Akoko Edo LGA, where they destroyed 3,944.2075 kg of cannabis on 1.577683 hectares of farmland.

“While commending the officers and men of the Bayelsa, Adamawa, Osun, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Edo, Kano, and Ogun Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country.“