Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Nwankwo Innocent Onyebuchi, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, with 1.550kg of cocaine bound for New Delhi, India. The marble trader, who told investigators he sold off his business and all assets to raise ₦23 million for the drugs, concealed the cocaine inside the walls and railings of his luggage before attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight. NDLEA said the consignment was meant to be sold for about ₦100 million in India, but the suspect is now in custody awaiting prosecution.
The Agency also uncovered massive drug stockpiles in Lagos and other states within the past week. Between August 7 and 8, NDLEA raided a warehouse at 20 Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace, Okota, and seized 3,776 cartons of codeine syrup containing 377,600 bottles worth over ₦2.6 billion. On August 14, 324kg of Colorado, valued at ₦972 million, was recovered from a residence in Ipaja Estate along with two vehicles. Other operations yielded 728,958 pills of tramadol and other opioids in Kano, 171 blocks of skunk weighing 106.8kg also in Kano, 4,628.9775kg of skunk destroyed on cannabis farms in Edo, and 239,490 caps of tramadol intercepted in Plateau. Arrests were also made in Kwara, Oyo and Delta with seizures of skunk, pentazocine injections, tramadol and cartridges.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, Rtd, commended the MMIA, Lagos, Kano, Kwara, Edo, Plateau, Oyo and Delta Commands for the string of arrests and seizures. He said the Agency will sustain the balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction, noting that WADA sensitization lectures were also held during the week at schools including Madarasatu Sheikh Muhammad Rabi’u Arabic School in Kano and Olomu Junior Secondary School in Ajah, Lagos.
