Lagos, Nigeria – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 2.7kg of cannabis hid in dried onions which was to be exported to Dubai through a postal firm in Lagos.
In a statement on Sunday, the public relations officer for the anti-narcotic agency, Femi Babafemi, also revealed that officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos, disrupted the activities of a drug syndicate that operated between Nigeria, East Africa and Europe.
Likewise, no fewer than 1,205,260 pills of opioids, according to the anti graft agency were seized in two interdiction operations in Kogi and Gombe states.
“Operatives at the Lagos airport had on Monday, March 13, intercepted a member of the drug syndicate, Ejezie Ifeanyi, during screening of inward passengers on Ethiopian Airline flight from Malawi via Addis Ababa at the arrival hall.
“When a search was conducted on him, it was discovered that one of his two bags had a false bottom concealment.
“During preliminary interview of the suspect, he confessed that a member of the syndicate was waiting at the airport car park to pick him. An immediate follow-up operation led to the arrest of Chukwu Bright, who was waiting in a grey colour Mercedes Benz C180 coupe, marked EKY 973 GQ to receive the drug consignment.” the statement read in parts.
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Babafemi noted that after the arrest, a proper search of the bag was conducted before the two suspects leading to the recovery of three kilograms of heroin.
He added that findings revealed that the drug syndicate networked between Nigeria, and Malawi, Mozambique in East Africa and Europe.
“While Chukwu who lives in Lagos is responsible for the recruitment and coordination of the activities of mules on behalf of other members of the cartel based in Mozambique and Malawi, another set operates from the southeastern part of Nigeria’, said Babafemi.
In a related case, in Kaduna state, 367 kilograms of cannabis sativa were recovered from a vehicle with registration number FKJ141DX.
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According to anti-graft agency, two suspects – Monday Suleiman, 62, and Sama’ila Mohammed, 30 were arrested while a bribe of N1,200,000 offered to the NDLEA officers was documented as part of exhibits to prosecute the suspects.
