Nigeria busts drugs consignment from Ghana
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested masterminds of drug trafficking at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and Abuja hotel, foiling attempt to smuggle opioids into Lagos from Ghana.
The agency stated that the attempts by drug syndicates to export large consignments of cocaine, methamphetamine and opioids through MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja to the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey and Qatar was thwarted by operatives of NDLEA, who in series of intelligence-led operations recovered the illicit drugs and arrested the masterminds.
According to the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi in a statement made available to Blueprint over the weekend, a total of 13 parcels of cocaine weighing 4.40kg going to the United Kingdom (UK) via Frankfurt on a Lufthansa Airlines flight were intercepted by NDLEA officers at the export shed of the Lagos airport on November 5, 2024 while a businessman linked to the consignment, Ekeocha Anayo Nelson, was tracked and arrested on November 8,2024.
Mediterranean Sea
The suspect claimed to have travelled to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea and earned a living as a street beggar before delving into logistics business,” Babafemi stated.
Also related is the arrest of another businessman, Anoke Kingsley Roomy with 1,100 pills of tramadol 225mg hidden in his luggage while attempting to board his Ethiopian Airlines flight going to Istanbul, Turkey at the terminal 1 of the Lagos airport on November 15.
Another suspect, Akande Moruf Olasunkanmi, was arrested with 1.8kg methamphetamine by operatives of a Special Operations Unit of NDLEA at his 9 Durojaiye street, Lawanson area of Surulere, Lagos home after weeks of intelligence and surveillance.
In another intelligence led operation, officers of NDLEA task force on November 16, foiled the attempt by a trans-border trafficker, Emmanuel Okechukwu Okeke to smuggle 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg from Ghana into Lagos.
The pills were concealed in the body compartments of a Toyota Hummer bus belonging to GUO Transport Company, driven by the suspect. The vehicle was intercepted at Ijanikin area of the Lagos-Badagry expressway while coming from Ghana.
In another development, not less than 997kg cannabis was recovered during raids in parts of Edo state in the past week. Babafemi said that 680kg cannabis and a Sienna bus marked FST-320 AE were seized at a bush path to Oghada forest in Oghada, Orhionmwan LGA of the state.
He said that 180.5kg of same substance was recovered from a suspect, Cecilia Ibe, 31, at Ofosu forest, Ovia South West LGA area of the state . He added that 136.5kg of same substance was evacuated from a building in Otuo community, Owan East LGA in Edo on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a suspect was on Wednesday nabbed with 88.3kg cannabis by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Babafemi said that personnel of Kano Command of the agency on Friday arrested 30-year-old man at Gadar Tamburawa, Kano- Zaria road, where they recovered 65,730 capsules of tramadol from him.
Also, in Kwara , he said NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect with 120.8kg cannabis and some litres of codeine at Gaa Odota in Ilorin West LGA. Babafemi said a suspected drug peddler was nabbed with 75kg cannabis at Eziobodo, Owerri West LGA, Imo State on Thursday, November 14.— Blueprint Newspaper