. Arrests businessman for smuggling cocaine through ingestion
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted two containers of imported opioids with a street value of N4.3 billion at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, Rivers and Tincan, Lagos state.
The NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi stated this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the drugs were intercepted on Thursday, Nov. 21, during a joint examination with men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies.
He gave a breakdown of the seizures as a total of 168,000 bottles of codeine based syrup worth N1.1bn in street value, recovered from one of the containers.
He added that the second one contained 4.5 million pills of super royal tramadol 225 miligrams valued N3.2bn.
According to him, this brings the combined value of both the codeine and tramadol consignments to N4.3 billion.
Babafemi further said that the NDLEA operatives also intercepted, 92 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis with a combined weight of 23.25 kilograms at the Tincan seaport in Lagos.
He said that the drugs, which were seized on Friday, Nov. 22 were concealed in two vehicles imported from Canada: a Nissan car and a GMC bus.
Babafemi said that the discovery was made during a joint examination of a container from Canada by NDLEA officers, men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other stakeholders.
In another development, in Ekiti, NDLEA operatives on Sunday, Nov. 17 arrested a 50-year-old physically challenged woman, Mustapha Boja, with 286 grams of Colorado and Loud strains of cannabis at Araromi street, Ikere-Ekiti.
Babafemi said that 64 kilograms of cannabis sativa was also recovered at Akinyele motor park, Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday, Nov. 21.
“Not less than 1,200.5 kilograms of same psychoactive substances were seized during raids by NDLEA officers in parts of Edo state.
“At Utese forest in Ovia North East LGA, 463.5 kilograms was recovered on Thursday, Nov. 21, while 507 kilograms was seized at a compound in Owan village, Ovia LGA.
“This was where the duo of David Ederin, 60, and Afoje Frank, 24, were arrested on Friday, Nov. 22.
“Another suspect, Godwin Okhoya, 40, was nabbed with 230 kilograms of same substance at Okpuje, Owan West LGA, “he said.
“In the same vien, in Kano, four suspects: Usman Sani, 25; Abdul Mohd, 28; Bunu Ali, 27; and Umar Musa, 30, were on Tuesday, Nov. 19 arrested by NDLEA operatives at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria- Kano road, ” he said.
Babafemi said that they were arrested with 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 45kg.
He said that another suspect, Ayuba Umar, 55, was nabbed with 124kg cannabis at Pengana village, Toro LGA, Bauchi state
Also, The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has arrested a businessman caught with a large quantity of cocaine.
The Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi disclosed the arrest on Sunday via his X account, accompanied by a video displaying the seized contraband.
The businessman, whose identity has not been disclosed, reportedly ingested a substantial quantity of cocaine in an attempt to avoid detection.
Babafemi wrote, “Detty December: Before you swallow those drugs, please remember that the new @ndlea_nigeria has the capacity and capability to catch you.
“The businessman who excreted this amount of cocaine will not only spend Christmas behind bars but also risks a life sentence at the end of his trial. Beware!” Babafemi wrote.
