NDLEA Nabs Village Head, Seizes Over 860kg Of Drugs In Edo

… Intercepts Brazilian lady with N3b heroin at Abuja airport

BENIN CITY/ABUJA: Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a village head and another suspect in Edo State following the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs in Esan South-East Local Government Area.

The arrests followed a raid carried out at Lagos Camp, Ilushi, where a total of 681 kilogrammes of skunk and 181 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds were recovered.

The NDLEA said the suspects were initially apprehended by troops of the Nigerian Army’s 4 Brigade in Benin City and promptly handed over to the agency for further investigation.

The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi.

Babafemi said the operation was part of ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and curb the cultivation, storage and distribution of illicit substances within the state.

He added that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier-General Buba Marwa, commended the Edo State Command and the Nigerian Army for their collaboration, describing the operation as a significant boost to the agency’s drug supply reduction drive.

Marwa urged officers to sustain the momentum and maintain professionalism in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking across the country.

Also , the agency has intercepted a 30-year-old Brazilian lady at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for bringing into Nigeria a total of 30.09 kilograms of white heroin worth over N3 billion in street value.

A statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja stated that the drugs were concealed in factory sealed coffee packs.

Babafemi said that the suspect who works as a private security officer in Brazil was arrested at the Abuja airport on Friday, January 23 upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following processed intelligence.

He said that after her arrest, a search was conducted on her two checked-in bags where 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee were found.

He also said that when the coffee bags were opened, rather than containing the beverage, what was found inside were white substances that later tested positive for heroin.

This, he said, weighed a total of 30.09 kilograms, making it the single largest heroin seizure at the Abuja airport.

“During her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the white heroin consignment under the guise of coming to Nigeria for holidays,” he said.

Meanwhile, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, January 20 intercepted two passengers.

Babafemi said that they were heading to Istanbul, Turkey, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight with a total of 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg concealed in food items packed in their bags.

Similarly, operatives of the Marine Command of the Agency in the early hours of Thursday, January 22 intercepted a wooden boat loaded with 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud.

Babafemi said that the drugs, which was a strain of cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms and intercepted at the Jakande beach in Lekki, Lagos.

Babafemi said that the shipment had barely arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence stormed the location around 1am, recovered the consignment and the boat.

In another development, two suspects were on Friday, January 23 arrested by NDLEA operatives in connection with the seizure of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives heading to Kano and Kaduna.

Babafemi said that the bags were intercepted in a commercial bus along Kaduna- Zaria highway, Zaria.

He said that one of the suspects was arrested at Karota park in Kano while the other was nabbed at Mando park in Kaduna in swift follow-up operations.

“An intelligence-led raid at Kwangila, Zaria LGA Kaduna on Thursday, January 22 led to the arrest of two other suspected drug traffickers with 120 kilograms of skunk recovered from them.”

According to the statement, all Commands and formations of the Agency nationwide, NDLEA officers continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities among others in the past week.

“These include, WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Taraba state command of NDLEA conducts WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Government Science Secondary School, Jalingo.

“Also, the Osun command of NDLEA delivers a WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Beloved Montessori Group of Schools, Ede, Osun state.

“Owerri City Junior Secondary School, Owerri, Imo; Government Day Secondary School, Otukpo, Benue; and Darawa Primary School, Dutsinma, Katsina, among others.”