Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 18.72 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja.
The seizure of the consignment thwarted the bid by members of an international drug syndicate that operates between Brazil, Ethiopia and Nigeria to smuggle into Lagos, the anti-narcotics agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday.
The drug consignments worth Four Billion Four Hundred and Ninety-Two Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N4,492,800,000) in street value were recovered from two lavatories of an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft during the post landing cleaning of the cabin of flight ET900 from Addis Ababa to Lagos on Tuesday 29th October 2024.
The illicit drug consignments were wrapped in nine polythene bags and hidden in the waste collectors in the two rear lavatories of the aircraft, from where they were recovered after the MMIA Strategic Command of NDLEA was alerted about the strange objects. No fewer than 30 suspects have so far been grilled in connection with the seizure.
Investigations revealed that the seized drugs were conveyed from Brazil to Ethiopia through ingestion and excreted in Addis Ababa by a set of couriers while some other traffickers picked them up and attempted to smuggle them into Nigeria through the Lagos airport before their attempt was frustrated with the cooperation of the airline’s authorities and other airport stakeholders.
In the same vein, attempts by some drug trafficking syndicates to export 2.928kg cocaine, cannabis and tramadol 225mg concealed in body cream containers, and pieces of art work to Australia, United Arab Emirate and United Kingdom through some courier companies in Lagos were also blocked by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, on Monday 28th October.
Also, on Tuesday 29th October 2024 at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 754, 000 pills of tapentadol and acetaminophen 225mg worth Five Hundred and Twenty-Five Million Naira (N525, 000,000) in a targeted and watch-listed container from India during a joint examination with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
In the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, a suspect Mujahid Hamisu, 24, was arrested with 147,000 pills of tramadol concealed in black nylon bags containing plumbing materials along Kwali-Gwagwalada Abuja expressway on his way from Onitsha, Anambra state on Saturday 2nd November 2024, while another suspect Seun Abimbola, 47, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives same day with 512 grams of methamphetamine during a raid operation at Giri junction area of the FCT.
In Kogi state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Kabba- Obajana highway arrested Mercy Ameh, 28, in a commercial bus travelling from Lagos to Abuja while a search of her luggage led to the recovery of fake naira notes worth Four Million, Three Hundred and Fifty Three Thousand ,Two Hundred Naira (₦ 4,353,200), even as another suspect Shaibu Dahiru, 27, was nabbed in a vehicle coming from Lagos to Katsina along Lokoja- Okene- Abuja road on Thursday 30th October with 68 blocks of cannabis weighing 27.400kg.
Furthermore, a notorious drug dealer Usman Abba (alias Timaya) who has been on the watchlist of the Katsina state command of NDLEA was on Wednesday 30th October arrested at Liberty Hotel, Kofar Kaura with consignments of Arizona, a strain of cannabis. Same day, NDLEA operatives in Adamawa arrested a suspect Augustine Dike, 31, with 50.3 grams of methamphetamine at Quarisa Hotel, Jimeta.
In Taraba, operatives on Friday 1st November arrested Danlami Fakwa, 46, at Sabon Gari, Jalingo LGA, with 49.795kg cannabis, while a total of 561kg of same substance was recovered from a Sienna bus at Ogbese village in Ondo state on Monday 28th October.
A suspect, Kabiru Yusuf, was on Saturday 2nd October arrested in possession of 51,813 pills of tramadol and exol 5 at NDA Bus Stop, Kaduna, just as raids in Edo state led to the seizure of 603.6kg cannabis at Farm road, Ekiadolor and 308.4kg of same substance at Uroe community.
NDLEA Commands also continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities across the country throughout the past week.
