Illicit drugs valued at more than ₦10 billion, including cocaine, Canadian Loud and millions of opioid pills, have been intercepted in a series of coordinated operations targeting international drug trafficking networks by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
According to the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the operations also uncovered military-grade ammunition concealed in palm oil kegs in Kaduna and Katsina States, while several suspected kingpins linked to international drug syndicates have been arrested.
Among those arrested is 55-year-old businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, a clothing dealer at Lagos’ Balogun Market, who was allegedly behind attempts to export 3.3 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside the walls of cartons used to package foodstuffs bound for the United Kingdom.
The cocaine consignment was intercepted at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Investigators initially arrested three cargo agents, Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim, who handled the shipment.
Their interrogation led to the arrest of Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the consignment, before investigators eventually identified and arrested Onuigbo as the alleged kingpin while he was attempting to ship another cocaine consignment to the United Kingdom.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo at her Surulere residence in Lagos after intercepting her 2.8-kilogram consignment of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, which arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight.
At the Lagos airport, operatives also intercepted a shipment from India aboard an Air Maroc flight containing 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250 milligrams, with an estimated street value of more than ₦2.2 billion.
The seizure followed intelligence processed by the Agency.
The anti-narcotics agency also intercepted a consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap destined for the United Kingdom at a Lagos courier company.
At the Apapa Seaport, officers uncovered a container carrying three vehicles used to conceal 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kilograms, with an estimated street value of more than ₦7.1 billion.
Outside Lagos, operatives arrested Mustapha Sani, aged 30, during a patrol operation in Baure, Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State, where he was found with 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, including 200 rounds of 7.62 millimetre ammunition and 123 rounds of 7.6 millimetre ammunition.
Another suspect, Abubakar Amadu, also aged 30, was arrested during a stop-and-search operation along the Abuja–Kaduna Expressway after officers discovered 73 rounds of 7.62 millimetre ammunition concealed inside kegs of red palm oil. Both suspects have since been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
In Edo State, raid operations at Ilushi Community in Esan South-East Local Government Area led to the recovery of 1,286 kilograms of cannabis and 86 kilograms of cannabis seeds from a warehouse. Two additional suspects, Ojore Onweze, aged 45, and George Agwumede, aged 30, were arrested with 60 kilograms and 13 kilograms of skunk respectively.
Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie
