Crime
Photos: NDLEA Intercepts ₦12.3 Billion Canadian Loud, Busts Drug Syndicate
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, after allegedly discovering 7.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a false compartment of her luggage.
This was disclosed in a statement to Naija News on Sunday signed by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
The 38-year-old suspect, who claimed she regularly travelled to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria, was arrested on June 21 while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing.
According to the NDLEA, the arrest followed credible intelligence, while a search of her luggage uncovered four large parcels of cocaine professionally concealed beneath a false bottom.
In another major operation, the anti-narcotics agency recovered 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, with an estimated street value of ₦12.397 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The seizure followed more than four weeks of intelligence-led surveillance on a 40-foot container carrying 195 sacks of the illicit substance alongside a Ford and a Nissan vehicle.
The container was tracked from Toronto, Canada, through Montreal and Morocco before arriving in Lagos.
The drugs were recovered during a joint examination involving officers of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
The agency also uncovered a syndicate allegedly involved in planting illicit drugs inside the luggage of unsuspecting interstate travellers.
The operation began after NDLEA operatives intercepted a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi, Anambra State, to Abuja at Abaji in the Federal Capital Territory.
A package containing 467.7 grams of methamphetamine concealed inside a bag of clothes was recovered during the search.
The supposed recipient, Gloria Peter, was arrested at Utako Motor Park but denied ownership of the package.
Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of loaders in Nnewi, who allegedly confessed that the package had been secretly placed in the woman’s luggage on the instruction of the bus driver, Abdurrazak Isah.
The driver later identified another passenger, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, as the owner of the illicit consignment, leading to his arrest in Abuja.
NDLEA operatives also arrested two nationals of the Benin Republic, Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19, alongside a Nigerian, Jackson ThankGod, after intercepting a truck conveying 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg.
The truck, travelling from Togo through the Benin Republic into Nigeria, was intercepted on the Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos following intelligence reports.
A search of the vehicle uncovered the tramadol tablets hidden inside a fabricated compartment.
In another operation, officers arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at the Iddo Motor Park in Lagos with 209.5 kilograms of Scottish Loud allegedly destined for Enugu State.
Along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo were arrested while transporting 118 kilograms of skunk concealed among legitimate goods in a truck travelling from Lagos to Onitsha.
Similarly, Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, were arrested in the Amukoko area of Lagos with 28.8 kilograms of skunk.
Investigations indicated that Helen allegedly stored the illicit drugs at Rashidat’s residence before distributing them to customers.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations for their sustained efforts in drug supply reduction and public sensitisation under the War Against Drug Abuse campaign.
He urged personnel across the country to remain vigilant and sustain the momentum in the fight against illicit drug trafficking and abuse.
Source: naijanews.com
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