Three major illicit drug syndicates have been taken down by operatives of a special unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in intelligence-led operations across parts of Lagos state, South-West Nigeria which led to the arrest of a baroness and four other kingpins with multi-billion Naira worth of Cocaine, Opioids and Loud recovered from their hideouts.
According to NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the female head of one of the syndicates, Faith Ebele Nwankwo was arrested on Wednesday, August 9 at her residence, House 6, C-Close, 3rd Avenue, Festac area of Lagos shortly after she returned from a warehouse at Plot 3432 Sola Akinsola Street, Divine Estate, Amuwo Odofin where she loaded eight cartons of Tramadol 225mg into an unmarked white Honda Pilot SUV.
A search of her residence and the warehouse led to the recovery of Two Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand (2,750,000) pills of Tramaking, a brand of Tramadol 225mg and 250mg packed in 39 cartons weighing 1,916 kilogrammes. The drugs and the SUV were recovered while the suspect was taken into custody.
In another operation targeted at a group of transnational syndicate involved in importation, exportation, distribution, and dealing in Cocaine and Canadian Loud, operatives of the same Special Unit of the Agency on Friday, August 4 tracked the drug syndicate to Atlantic Nominee Estate in Lekki- Ajah area of Lagos where a blue Toyota Highlander SUV was loaded with 8.49 kilogrammes of Cocaine and 10.3 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud for distribution by the duo of Urama Chinemelum Precious, 32, and Adelakun Ilelabayo Oluade, 55. A follow-up operation at the residence of Chinemelum at House 7, Road 7, Lagra Estate, Eti-Osa, Lagos led to the recovery of additional 18 blocks of Loud weighing 18.5 kilogrammes.
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The following day, Saturday, August 5, operatives of the Special Unit went after another syndicate involved in importation, distribution and diversion of Ephedrine Hydrochloride, a precursor chemical used for the production of Methamphetamine, following intelligence that members of the cartel were planning to divert 25 kilogrammes of the substance. Two members of the syndicate: Udeh Vincent Ogbonna, 53, and Okonkwo Ifeanyi Uzozie, 50, were arrested at a commercial bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, Lagos where they were attempting to send the concealed substance to the South-East. A body search conducted on the two suspects led to the recovery of Three Thousand ($3,000) US Dollars found on Udeh Vincent Ogbonna.
In operations across four other states of Ogun, Ondo, Edo and Nasarawa, NDLEA operatives recovered over 13,391.8 kilogrammes of Skunk. No fewer than 1,955 kilogrammes of the illicit substance packed in 139 jumbo bags and stored in the warehouse of a wanted notorious drug dealer, Lekan Jimoh (aka Konmo Konmo) in Ado Odo Ota area of Ogun State, South-West Nigeria were recovered in the early hours of Saturday, August 12 in collaboration with officers and men of the Nigerian Army.
In another South-West state of Ondo, five suspects including Ogbu Paul Odey, 30; Daniel Osidi, 34; John Iyage, 41; Friday Simon, 28; and Friday James, 24, were arrested in connection with the seizure and or destruction of over 10,325.5 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa in Iju and Ala forests, in Akure area of the state between Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th August.
While 22-year-old James Aga was arrested during the raid of an uncompleted building on the outskirts of Utese town in Ovia North East LGA of Edo State on Friday, August 11 with 10 kilogrammes of Skunk, 976 kilogrammes of the same substance was recovered from the building in addition to the recovery of four motorcycles. In an earlier operation in Utese forest on Tuesday, August 8, at least 46.545 kilogrammes of Skunk were recovered and 1.581146 hectares of Cannabis farms destroyed
while two suspects: Onyelunisue Azuka, 48 and Abraham Ayomide, 30, were arrested.
In Nasarawa state, North-Central Nigeria, 49-year-old Umar Abdullahi, was arrested on Friday August 11 with 64.8 kilogrammes of Cannabis Sativa in Doma LGA, while NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, on Wednesday, August 9 intercepted a 4.5-kilogramme consignment of Loud coming from the United States at a courier firm in Lagos.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
