Indian Businessman, 3 Others Arrested Over N3.9bn Tramadol Intercepted At Lagos Airport

By Bukar BOLORI

An Indian businessman Gupta Ravi Kumar and three Nigerian accomplices: Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode and Bakare Korede Muheeb have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in connection with the seizure of 2,248,000 pills of tramadol 200mg/225mg intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday, said the tramadol shipment worth N3,990,000,000 in street value was imported from Delhi, India, disguised as multi-vitamins in 114 cartons and arrived the import shed of the Lagos airport on Ethiopian Airline flight last Monday.

He said a team of NDLEA officers who had put the consignment under surveillance however swooped on a clearing agent and two drivers who were trying to move the shipment out of the airport in two trucks last Thursday, adding that a follow up operation the following day led to the arrest of the Indian businessman Gupta Ravi Kumar, when he was trying to take delivery of the consignment.

Babafemi said at the terminal 2 departure gate of the airport, NDLEA operatives on Sunday 7th September intercepted a passenger Onyeganochi Ifeanyi travelling on a Qatar Airline flight to Doha, stating that a search of his bag led to the recovery of 900 grammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis concealed in crayfish. Onyeganochi, a first-time traveler, claimed the bag was given to him to help take to Doha by a Qatar-based Nigerian Ohadiegwu Uchenna who followed him to the airport.

He said his confession led to the arrest of Uchenna who was still within view. Operatives, who later conducted a search of Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao estate discovered additional 200 grammes of the same psychoactive substance, and he claimed he was to return to Doha days later and pick the bag from the unsuspecting Onyeganochi if he had succeeded escaping security checks.

Babafemi said at the Tincan port in Lagos, a total of 161 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 81.7 kilogrammes and 1.2 kilogrammes hashish oil were recovered from a 40ft container of vehicle spare parts and used vehicles imported from Montreal Canada during a joint examination of the shipment last Tuesday.

He disclosed that two suspects: John Ochigbo, 53, and Okeke Kingsley, 26, have been taken into custody in connection with the seizure.Another shipment of Canadian Loud with a total weight of 65 kilogrammes was tracked from the port to Third Mainland bridge where NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle conveying the consignment, recovered it and arrested the driver Abubakar Ibrahim, 42 on Thursday 11th September.

Two separate shipments of methamphetamine concealed in picture frame and Loud, hidden in video players were seized at two courier companies in Lagos on Monday 8th and Thursday 11th September respectively by NDLEA operatives. While 6 grammes of meth recovered from the picture frame were meant for delivery in Gabon, 1.1 kilogrammes Loud in the decoder machines was heading to the United Arab Emirate.

In Ikorodu area of Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence last Thursday raided a factory producing skuchies, a blend of cannabis and black currant drink. No less than 6,029 bottles of the new psychoactive substance and 4,232 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from the factory located in Caritas, Ibeshe area of Ikorodu while the factory manager Joy Awosika was arrested. Another suspect, Akeem Oriola was same day arrested in Mushin area of Lagos with 26 kilogrammes skunk.

In Abuja, NDLEA operatives on a stop and search operation at Utako area of the FCT last Thursday arrested a dispatch rider Godsplan Vincent, 29, while on a mission to distribute 50.7 grammes of cocaine and 66 grammes of Loud. Three female suspects: Faidat Azeez, 25; Alanu Fatimoh, 40, and Mojeed Taiwo, 25, were arrested in Lagbondoko and Akitan areas of Oyo town, Oyo State in connection with the seizure of 17 kilogrammes skunk found in their possession.

No fewer than 100,000 pills of tramadol 200mg/225mg were seized from a suspect Musa Shuaibu, 38, at Gadar Tamburawa, along Zaria – Kano road last Monday while196 litres of Akuskura, a new psychoactive substance, were recovered from Abubakar Adamu, 35, at Na’ibawa area of Kano by NDLEA operatives who also seized 34.1 kilogrammes skunk, 493 tubes of rubber solution and 25 litres of ‘suck and die’, an NPS, from Basiru Umar, 18,at Wailari area, Kumbotso LGA, Kano state last Thursday.

In Anambra state, a couple: Nzube Onyedika, 41, and Ebele Onyedika, 42, were arrested during a raid operation at Obosi where 13.9 kilogrammes Methamphetamine and 5.3 kilogrammes skunk were recovered from them while various quantities of meth, tramadol, swinol, heroin and skunk were seized from another suspect Nnamchi Tochukwu, 36.

In Yobe, a suspect Mohammed Auwal was arrested after 36 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 22.1 kilogrammes were recovered from his residence at Gidan Talakawa area of Potiskum, while three trans-border drug traffickers: Kunyadi Ogbungbun, 24; Olalekan Adewale, 20; and Sanya Joshua,22, were nabbed with 394 kilogrammes skunk at Imeko area of Ogun State during a joint operation by NDLEA operatives with the police and local vigilante on Sunday 7th September. Three motorcycles used in conveying the illicit consignment were also recovered.

In Edo state, a total of 16,966.633 kilogrammes of skunk were destroyed on a cannabis plantation measuring 6.786653 hectares at Ugbogyi forest, Ovia South West local government area while 112 bags of processed cannabis weighing 1,176 kilogrammes were also recovered at the farm where four suspects: Ebenezer Ewang; Oshore John; Emmanuel Monday and David Sunday were arrested.

In like manner, Commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

Meanwhile, while commending the officers and men of MMIA, DOGI, Tincan, Lagos, Oyo, Edo, Kano, FCT, Anambra, Yobe, and Ogun commands for the arrests, and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency.