The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 48-year-old suspect, Nwankwo Onyebuchi, with 1.550kg of cocaine concealed in the walls and railings of his luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Onyebuchi, a marble dealer based in Lagos, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal II while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi, India.
The NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
Babafemi said a search of the suspect’s check-in luggage uncovered 1.550kg of cocaine factory-fitted into its walls and railings.
According to the agency, the suspect confessed that he had sold his marble business and other assets to raise ₦23 million to purchase the consignment, which he expected to sell in India for as much as ₦100 million.
The suspect remains in NDLEA custody pending prosecution.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA said it recovered illicit drugs worth more than ₦3.6 billion in separate operations across Lagos.
In one operation, operatives acting on credible intelligence raided a warehouse within a residential compound at 20 Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace area of Okota, Lagos, where they recovered 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
The controlled substance, recovered between August 7 and 8, was valued at more than ₦2.6 billion.
In another intelligence-led operation, NDLEA operatives raided the residence of a 55-year-old suspected drug kingpin, Shoremi Kayode, at 37 Ogundare Street, Ipaja Estate, Ipaja area of Lagos.
The agency recovered 324kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a street value of ₦972 million. A Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota Corolla were also recovered.
The NDLEA also reported arrests and drug seizures in Kwara, Oyo, Delta, Plateau, Kano and Edo states.
In Kwara State, Abubakar Adamu, 50, and Bilyaminu Nuhu, 30, were arrested on August 13 at the Kam Wire area of Ilorin with 55.96kg of skunk in a truck marked DKA 350 XL.
In Oyo State, Abdulfatai Oyelaran, 70, and Abdulrauf Ajadi, 50, were arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on August 12. The agency said 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection were recovered from their Toyota Sienna vehicle marked FFA-115KA.
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives intercepted Osaro Ikpoba, 43, and Samuel Godbless, 18, along the Onitsha-Asaba Expressway on August 13.
The agency said 124,100 pills of tramadol, 786 bottles of codeine syrup, 2,598 tablets of rohypnol, 4,800 tablets of diazepam, 470 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 200 ampoules of tramadol injection were recovered.
Another suspect, Emeka Tony, 50, was arrested with 1,244 cartridges and ₦8 million along the Kwale-Ozoro Expressway on August 12.
In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla, registration number MKD 341 EA, along the Riyom-Jos Road and recovered 239,490 capsules of Tramaforce, a brand of tramadol. A suspect, Kasum Sherif, was arrested.
In Kano State, six suspects were arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road on August 10. They were identified as Okodili Ibeabuchi, 60; Onyeka Vincent, 47; Nwanko Wisdom, 36; Success Chigozie, 30; Emmanuel Jude, 27; and Chinedu Peter, 39.
The agency said 728,958 pills of tramadol, rohypnol and other opioids, 360g of cocaine, 99.8g of methamphetamine, 50 bottles of codeine syrup and 2.7kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, were recovered.
Also in Kano, NDLEA operatives raided Zawaciki Gida Dubu in Kumbotso Local Government Area on August 14, recovering 171 blocks of skunk weighing 106.8kg.
Two suspects, Mustapha Iliya, 30, and Abdulwahab Abdulrashid, 24, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
In Edo State, the agency said 4,628.9775kg of skunk was destroyed from two cannabis farms covering 1.851591 hectares at Ugboku/Igbanke forest in Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
A suspect, Agholor Elebojie, 40, was arrested in one of the farms during the August 12 raid.
Another suspect, Kingsley Anigala, 28, was arrested with 25.857kg of Loud and 93g of methamphetamine during a raid on drug joints in the Oluku area of Benin City on August 14.
The NDLEA said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities also continued across the country during the week, including sensitisation lectures for students and staff of Madarasatu Sheikh Muhammad Rabi’u Arabic School in Kano and Olomu Junior Secondary School in Ajah, Lagos State.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and personnel of the MMIA, Lagos, Kano, Kwara, Edo, Plateau, Oyo and Delta commands for the arrests and seizures.
Marwa also praised personnel across the agency’s commands for maintaining a balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.
