NDLEA Intercepts Saudi, UK-bound Cocaine In Lipsticks, Property Title Documents

By Bukar BOLORI

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted cocaine consignments concealed in lipsticks and property title documents going to the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia respectively.

The spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the illicit drug consignments were recovered from cargos being prepared for shipment at a courier company in Lagos last Thursday by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) attached to the logistics firm.

He disclosed that a total of 420 grammes of cocaine factory fitted in 84 pieces of female lipsticks heading to the UK were seized, while 280 grammes of the same Class A drug were uncovered in a property title document (Certificate of Occupancy, C of O) being sent to Saudi Arabia.

Babafemi also said a notorious drug kingpin Ajetsibo Emami popularly known as ‘Warri Kinsman’ was on Saturday 28th June arrested in Ikeja Lagos after NDLEA operatives dismantled his drug trafficking network in a three-day operation leading to the arrest of three other suspects.

He said recovered from Emami’s network were 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 414.2 kilogrammes, noting that the bust of Emami’s drug ring followed credible intelligence on his attempt to move the shipment to Lekki area of Lagos, from where it will be distributed to other parts of the state and across the country.

He stated that a businessman Ajah Uchenna and his wife Rosemary Uchenna along with their two daughters: Stella Uchenna and Ngozi Uchenna as well as their family friend Okoro Elijah have been taken into custody after investigation revealed they run a major illicit drug distribution network in Lagos.

He said the couple was first arrested on Friday 13th June by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Ojo area of the state and transferred to NDLEA along with 277.5 kilogrammes skunk, adding that while they were still being investigated in custody, credible intelligence revealed that the family business was going on in his house.

He said this led to a raid of their home and a packing store where 231 kilogrammes of same substance was recovered last Tuesday. Three persons arrested during the raid include their two daughters: Ngozi Uchenna and Blessing Uchenna as well as their family friend Okoro Elijah, who were running the family business in the absence of the couple.

NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos last Wednesday intercepted a frequent flyer Aburemi Hysent who specialises in conveying goods for customers from Nigeria to Italy and vice versa.

He was found to have hidden 7,660 pills of tramadol 225mg and 200mg inside food items packed among other goods he was conveying to Italy. He claimed he was to be paid the sum of 800 euros upon successful delivery of the drug consignment in Italy.

In another interdiction operation at the Lagos airport, a total of 52 pieces of the travelers cheques concealed in children books, worth 17,700,000 Australian dollars, going to Malaysia through Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight were last Friday intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the airport while a freight agent, Bolarinwa Saheed has been arrested.

The travelers cheques suspected to be counterfeit and the suspect will be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for further investigation, Babafemi stated.

While NDLEA officers at Seme border, Badagry on Saturday recovered 718 big balls of skunk weighing 359 kilogrammes from a store in Baba – Pupa area of the border community, operatives on patrol along Okene-Lokoja highway intercepted 10,000 pills of tramadol 225mg and co-codamol as well as 1.050kg Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis leading to the arrest of owners of the way billed drug consignments: Chinedu Odo; Samuel Ogbonna and Kingsley Ugaji at Jabi park in Abuja during follow up operations.

In Osun state, two suspects: Agunbiade Folusho, 40, and Suleiman Dasola, 28, were arrested at Ajegunle area of Osogbo last Thursday with 13,901 pills and ampoules of different opioids recovered from them, while another suspect Adebayo Adewale, 50, was nabbed at a patent medicine shop at Arubidi street, Ile-Ife, with 48,205 pills of opioids.

A raid of a vulcanizer workshop at Akindeko junction, Alekuwodo area of Osogbo last Tuesday led to the arrest of three suspects: Wasiu Ajadi, 45; Babatunde Ojo, 35; and Yusuf Sarafadeen, 39, with 1,250 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 850 pills of tramadol and three bottles of codeine-based syrup.

Not less than 24,175 kilogrammes of skunk were destroyed on 9.67 hectares of cannabis farmland at Ikaka, Oke-Ila forest, Osun State when NDLEA operatives raided the area where seven suspects: Bunmi Adedapo, 41; Adebisi Sodiq, 26; Babatunde Gani, 22; John Sunday, 30; Israel Odabe, 29; Solomon Odabe, 21, and Prosper Odabe, 23, were arrested last Thursday.

In Borno, 167 kilogrammes of skunk was recovered at Gamboru-Ngala, while a total of 452 kilogrammes of same psychoactive substance was seized at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria-Kano road with two suspects: Nasuru Saleh and Mustapha Muhammad arrested in connection with the seizure last Thursday.

While NDLEA operatives on patrol along Abuja-Kaduna expressway recovered 11,000 pills of tramadol 225mg from Sule Sadiq, 30, last Thursday their counterparts in Sokoto arrested 62-year-old Joseph Onungene in connection with the seizure of 4,800 pills of tramadol 225mg.

In Kebbi state, operatives raided Bakin Kasuwa Yauri base where they seized 312 kilogrammes skunk and 10,000 tabs of diazepam.

The duo of Chigbo Okolo, 52, and Ishaku Musa, 28, were on Saturday arrested with 49,930 capsules of tramadol, at Mallum, Ardo- Kola local council area of Taraba state.

In Edo state, NDLEA operatives raided the Ewere forest in Owan West local government area where they arrested a wanted suspect, Alaba Monday, 49, in one of his cannabis farms with 115 kilogrammes of processed skunk, while three other suspects: Shamsu Abdullahi; Peter Egboko; and Justin John were nabbed in another farm measuring 2.050201 hectares.

A 78-year-old suspect Mike Abeng, was arrested with 14.49 kilogrammes skunk and tramadol during a raid by NDLEA operatives at Ofudua, Obubra local government area, Cross River state.

Others nabbed with different quantities of illicit substances during the operation include: Oyom Akam, 50; Sylvester Odem, 40; and Moses Ayo, 50, apprehended at Ovonum, Obubra local government area.

Meanwhile, the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of DOGI, MMIA, Lagos, Seme, Kogi, Osun, Borno, Kano, Edo, Kaduna, Cross River, Kebbi and Taraba commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.