Fresh attempts by the Brazil-based drug cartels to smuggle substantial quantities of Cocaine into Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos by concealing the Class-A illicit substance in teabags have again been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
Spokesperson of the Agency, Femi Babafemi, said at least, four traffickers involved in the attempts to import and export illicit drugs through the country in the last week are now in custody.
One of them, Pascal Ekene was arrested during an inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo via Doha at the arrival hall of the Abuja Airport last Sunday. Ekene who claimed to be into wine business in Brazil was arrested with a travelling bag containing different medicinal teabags, which were used to conceal 4.1 kilogrammes of Cocaine.
Same day, a Canada-based Nigerian, Anigo Christian Godspower was intercepted at the D-Arrival Hall of the Lagos Airport, during an inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways from Sao Paolo via Doha to Lagos.
When his luggage was searched, two blocks of Cocaine with a total weight of 2.10 kilogrammes were discovered with the 52-year-old
claiming he operates an unregistered Bureau De Change business before delving into the illicit drug trade.
The bid by another cartel to export 950 grammes of Heroin concealed in the soles of lady’s footwears through the cargo shed of the Lagos Airport was equally foiled by anti-narcotic officers who have so far arrested two suspects linked to the crime. Those arrested between 16th and 17th April in connection with attempt to export the drug to Monrovia, Liberia include Idokoja Solomon Chukwurah and Patrick John Tochukwu.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in raids in Kano, Kaduna, Benue and Akwa Ibom states have seized no less than 88,734 doses of Tramadol, Pentazocine, Diazepam and Swinol.
Also read: Kebbi gets new state commandant of NDLEA
In Kano State, Aliyu Usman, 28, was arrested at Railway area of the state capital with 47,000 capsules of Tramadol and 2,000 ampules of pentazocine injection on Tuesday 19th April while Saminu Usman, 28, was nabbed with 24,710 Tramadol tablets at Gadar Tamburawa area two days earlier.
In Benue State, another dealer, Emeka Eze was arrested at an NDLEA checkpoint at Adikpo, Kwande Local Government Area with 10,000 Tramadol capsules and 900 tablets of swinol, while in Kaduna state, the duo of Raphael Daniel and David Musa were arrested at Mando Park with 1 kilogramme of Cocaine on Thursday 21st April.
A week after, Muhammad Sani Ibrahim sent 12.1 kilogrammes of cannabis from Lagos to Kaduna with operatives able to trace and arrest him last Thursday after his consignment was intercepted.
Another dealer, Kamilu Ibrahim was also arrested same day at Kargi village in Kubau LGA of Kaduna State with 10.6 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa, while Bashir Ibrahim was arrested on Friday 22nd April after his four consignments containing Cannabis Sativa weighing 44.6 kilogrammes were intercepted three days earlier along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.
In Akwa Ibom state, operatives arrested two suspected female drug dealers, namely Eno-Obong Edet, 36, and Hossana Esema Ukpong, 28, with various quantities of Rohypnol, Diazepam, Tramadol and Cannabis, while a suspected fake security agent was arrested on Saturday 23rd April in Abuja while moving 23.8 kilogrammes of cannabis from Lagos to Maiduguri, Borno state.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
