NDLEA intercepts N3.7bn worth of tramadol at Lagos airport, others
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have arrested a ‘notorious drug kingpin’ in the Okota area of Amuwo Odofin local government area, in Lagos, who is said to specialize in sponsoring young Nigerians to traffic hard drugs to Europe.
NDLEA which disclosed this in a statement by its Spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi, Sunday, in Abuja said the drug kingpin, identified as Charles Uwagbale, who allegedly recruited one Ms Uju Dominic, 35, from his base in Italy was arrested on Friday, July 21, ‘when he was preparing her to swallow 93 pellets of cocaine meant for distribution in Italy.’
In another operation, the anti-narcotics agency disclosed that attempts by some persons to smuggle 98 cartons containing over five million pills of Tramadol with a street value of about N3.7 billion was thwarted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos by its operatives.
The interception was facilitated ‘through the robust synergy between men of the Nigeria Customs Service and NDLEA officers at the airport as well as those at the DHL cargo warehouse.’
“Preliminary findings revealed that the consignments were imported from India and Pakistan, while some of the seized consignments had Freetown, Sierra Leone as final destination,” the agency reported.
In other operations carried out across the country, the NDLEA reported that its operatives in Bauchi state recovered over six million pills of opioids from three suspects, Emmanuel Onyebuchi, 32; Uche Iyida, 33; and Chinedu Ezeanyim 32.
“This follows their arrest alongside a truck driver and his assistant at Shopping Complex, Maiduguri Bye-Pass, Bauchi town on Wednesday, 19th July and the subsequent follow up search of the residence of Iyida on Friday, 21st July.
“Also, over fewer than 999 tablets of Exol-5 were also recovered by operatives from a shop close to the market at Hong Road, Gombi, Adamawa state on Friday 21st July, while 46,000 capsules of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Paul Ajaegbu, 36, along Owerri – Aba road, Imo state on Monday 17th July.
“Meanwhile, in Ondo state, NDLEA operatives in their numbers stormed the Ofosu forest where they destroyed 29 hectares of cannabis farms on Thursday, 20th July.
“The farm is owned by Osamezu George Chukwuemeka, 51, his wife Kate Osamezu, 43; Agboola Wasiu, 37 and Mustapha Sanni and were arrested during the operation, while 118.5kg processed cannabis was recovered from the farm,” the agency reported.
Similarly, NDLEA disclosed that in another raid of the warehouse of a suspect at Elegbeka, Ose LGA, not less than 107 jumbo bags of the same illicit substance weighing 1,132.5kg were recovered on Monday, 17th July.
“Other seizures and arrests were made by the NDLEA’S operatives in Sokoto, Yobe, Edo, Imo, Kano, Kogi, Ogun, Nasarawa states.”
