By Ado Oyeyemi
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a Lagos based trader, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, for allegedly attempting to export cocaine concealed in cartons of food items destined for the United Kingdom.
The agency said the 55 year old clothing dealer, who operates at Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was apprehended after operatives intercepted 3.30 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden inside the walls of food cartons at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
According to the NDLEA, the illicit consignment was intercepted on July 22, while Chinedu was arrested a day later during investigations into the shipment.
The agency said the investigation initially led to the arrest of three cargo agents identified as Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim, who handled the consignment.
It added that further investigations resulted in the arrest of Kenneth Okakpu, who allegedly delivered the shipment to the cargo agents for export.
The NDLEA said information obtained from the suspects led operatives to Chinedu, whom it described as the alleged mastermind of the drug trafficking network.
He was reportedly arrested while attempting to dispatch another cocaine consignment to the United Kingdom.
In a separate operation, the agency arrested a 31 year old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu Edo, at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, following the seizure of 2.80 kilogrammes of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, imported from the United States.
The agency also announced the interception of 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg with an estimated street value of more than ₦2.2bn at the Lagos airport.
According to the NDLEA, the consignment arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight and was intercepted during a joint cargo examination based on intelligence.
Operatives also recovered another shipment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap intended for export to the United Kingdom at a courier company in Lagos.
At the Apapa Seaport, NDLEA officers uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kilogrammes concealed inside three vehicles in a container. The agency estimated the street value of the drugs at over ₦7.1bn.
In Katsina State, operatives arrested a 30 year old suspect, Mustapha Sani, during a patrol in Safana Local Government Area after he was allegedly found with 323 rounds of military grade ammunition.
Another suspect, Abubakar Amadu, was arrested along the Abuja Kaduna Expressway with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed inside kegs of red oil during a stop and search operation.
The NDLEA said both suspects had been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
Meanwhile, a raid on a warehouse in Ilushi community, Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, led to the recovery of 1,286 kilogrammes of cannabis and 86 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.
The operation also resulted in the arrest of Ojore Onweze, who was allegedly found with 60 kilogrammes of skunk, and George Agwumede, who was arrested with 13 kilogrammes of the substance.
The agency said its commands across the country also sustained anti drug abuse awareness campaigns in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities as part of its War Against Drug Abuse initiative.
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Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply reduction and public sensitisation.
