NDLEA seizes illicit drugs concealed in incense candles in Lagos, other
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA
NDLEA seizes illicit drugs concealed in incense candles in Lagos, other
Abdullateef Fowewe
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has seized illicit shipments and consignments of Cocaine and Loud and cannabis concealed in incense candles, game packs, dry hibiscus leaves and ladies’ native wears at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State.
This was revealed in a statement on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The NDLEA according to the statement also arrested a businessman, identified as Abdulwahab Owolabi Alebiosu at his Horizon Court, Lekki, Lagos on Thursday, July 18, 2024, after a consignment of 40 parcels of Loud weighing 20.30 kilograms hidden in packs of chessboards, scrabbles, checkers, and poker sets, brought in from Canada on a British Airways flight was thwarted at the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport during a joint examination of the cargo with men of the Customs Service.
Extract from the statement read, “A search of his home also led to the recovery of more exhibits including some drug paraphernalia, such as weighing scale, and cannabis potency test kit, while four vaping machines were recovered from his business premises on Admiralty Way, Lekki. A Mikano black truck with registration number FST 657 HP was also recovered from his house.”
In another development, the NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO export shed of the MMIA on Friday, July 19 also intercepted two jumbo bags going to Pakistan.
The bags according to Babafemi contained dried hibiscus leaves, dried bitter leaves and other food items, which were used to conceal four parcels of cocaine and 14 parcels of Loud, both weighing 1.360kg.
Moreover, investigations by the operatives led to the arrest of a businesswoman, identified as Eze Queen Ogechi who claimed she was sending the illicit consignment to Pakistan on the instruction of her brother, Eze Nnamdi Promise based in the South Asia country.
In another successful operation by the agency, the statement stated, “The NDLEA operatives attached to Terminal II, Departure Gate of the MMIA, on Thursday 18th July intercepted a male Beninese passenger, Orobi Adoubi Amen, travelling with a bag containing some female native dresses. The suspect was going to Dubai via Accra, Ghana on an Air Peace Airline flight and a connecting flight to Dubai, UAE on Emirates Airline. A thorough search of the bag revealed eight parcels of Loud weighing 2.10kg were concealed in the ladies’ native wear. The suspect claimed he was given the consignment for a fee of N600,000 on successful delivery in Dubai.
“Not less than 4.5kg of the same substance concealed inside the door panels and boot of an imported Toyota RAV 4 vehicle was on Sunday 14th July recovered from a container marked MSDU 5656394 from Canada during a 100% search of the container at Tincan port in Lagos. Two suspects: Dada Kole and Alaba Oladewusi have been arrested in connection with the seizure. Meanwhile, a 48-year-old one-legged man, Amadu Garba was arrested by NDLEA operatives in his house in Yawuri town, Kebbi State with six bags of cannabis weighing 67kg on Tuesday 16th July.
“In Abuja, two suspects: 60-year-old Ademola Elusakin and 34-year-old Nuhu Friday Adamu were arrested by NDLEA operatives on Monday 15th July with 30.0kg of the same psychoactive substance along Kwali-Gwagwalada-Abuja expressway on their way from Lagos to Nasarawa state. Elusakin claimed he procured the consignment from Ghana via Lagos with Keffi, Nasarawa state as his final destination, where they were to supply illegal miners operating in the area.”
The statement also confirmed that 305 blocks of cannabis weighing 152.5kg were recovered from a 39-year-old suspect, Sale Bukar, who was arrested at Geidam in Yobe State on Sunday, July 14, while taking the illicit consignment to Diffa, Niger Republic. While another suspect, identified as Aham Regal Chinemeze, 43, was apprehended on Thursday, July 18, with 60kg of the same substance along Owerri to Onitsha expressway, Imo state, Adamu Abdullahi, 24, was also arrested with 40.500kg on Wednesday, July 17, along Obajana to Kabba expressway, Kogi state. The consignment was recovered from him in a commercial bus coming from Lagos en route to Kano.
The statement reads in part, “In Plateau state, a raid on the storehouse of a notorious drug dealer, Choji Gyang (aka Pararam) who is currently at large, at Rukuba road, Jos led to the recovery of 34 bags of cannabis weighing 312kg while his manager, Kelvin Onwutalu, 43, was arrested. Two suspects: Ifabiyi Johnson, 27, and Adeleke Musiliu, 54, were on Friday 19th July arrested with different strains of cannabis sativa weighing 30.4kg during a raid in Osogbo, Osun state. In Jigawa state, the trio of Tukur Yahaya, 55; Idris Haruna, 28; and Tanimu Umar, 29, were nabbed with 90 blocks of cannabis weighing 116.8kg at Roni junction, Kazaure LGA, on Friday 19th July while on their way to supply the illicit drugs to their customers in Kazaure, Yankwashi and Katsina state.
“Similarly, the duo of Ibrahim Abdulkadir, 29, and Suleman Mohammed, 22, were arrested with 336 bottles of codeine syrup at Amingo, Kaduna, while Auwalu Hashimu, 35, was nabbed with 45 kilograms of cannabis along Zaria- Kano highway. Acting on credible intelligence, a team of NDLEA operatives backed by soldiers raided a mechanic workshop opposite Benin garage, Akure, Ondo State where they recovered a white Toyota Hilux Van with registration number EE 328 EKY loaded with 652 parcels of cannabis weighing 685kg. In Nasarawa state, 38kg of the same psychoactive substance and a locally made AK-47 rifle were recovered from the home of a suspect, Christopher Ombugadu, 32, in Akwanga during a raid on Sunday 14th July.
“With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities among others in the past week. These iininclude: WADA enlightenment lecture for students and teachers of Federal Science and Technical College, Dayi, Katsina state; Community High School (Senior), Owode, Ogun state; Urban Secondary School, Awgu, Enugu state and Goretti Secondary Commercial School, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom state among others.”
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers and other security agencies for their collaborative efforts in achieving operational victories. He, however, encouraged them to remain vigilant and step up their efforts in reducing drug supply and demand.
