NDLEA smashes two drug cartels, recovers multi-billion-naira cocaine, fentanyl consignments
CHIGOZIE AMADI
A married-couple cocaine-trafficking cartel has been smashed by the operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
A statement on Tuesday by the spokesperson of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, said multi-billion-naira worth of illicit drugs were recovered in two major operations following the arrest of Bolanle Dauda and Olayinka Dauda, the kingpin and the queen of the cartel.
He said that the intelligence-led operations culminated in the smashing of the cartel which scope of operations spread across Lagos and Ogun States.
He disclosed that the duo were arrested last Saturday by operatives of a special operation unit in NDLEA with the support of Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States at Ibiye, along Lagos-Badagry expressway while attempting to cross the land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana.
He said at the point of their arrest, 42 blocks of the Class A drug weighing 47.5 kilogrammes were found on them, adding that a swift follow up operation in their residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun state, led to the recovery of additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10 kilogrammes, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from the couple to 57.5 kilogrammes.
Babafemi said in another raid by the special operation unit, no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of lethal synthetic opioid, fentanyl, weighing 6.48 kilogrammes were recovered from a member of a drug trafficking syndicate, 34-year-old Ikeh Ifeanyi at the popular Idumota market in Lagos Island.
He said no less than 790 ampoules of the dangerous opioid weighing 5.273 kilogrammes were equally seized from another member of the fentanyl syndicate, 48-year-old Chieze Benjamin who was also arrested at Idumota market. He noted that fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, which is 100 times more potent than heroin is currently responsible for over 70% overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the United States.
Babafemi disclosed that two other persons: Olayiwola Kazeem, 37, and Ogunfowora Ajibola, 35, were arrested on Lagos Island in a different raid by NDLEA officers with 432 grammes of methamphetamine recovered from them.
He said at the Tincan port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives last Saturday intercepted 15 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 7.5 kilogrammes concealed in the doors and body crevices of a Toyota Highlander SUV in a container marked MSMU 7294325, which was declared as containing three units of used vehicles including the Toyota Highlander originated from Toronto and shipped to Nigeria via Montreal, Canada.
He noted that a swift follow up operation led to the arrest of two suspects: Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, who were to receive the vehicle and the drug consignment, adding that a bribe of six million naira offered NDLEA officers by the sender of the container based in Canada through his agent has also been registered as exhibit for the prosecution of the case.
Reacting to the arrest of the drug kingpins and the seizure of the dangerous illicit drugs, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the special operation unit for their resilience in targeting and taking down drug cartels and barons. He equally praised the result-oriented collaboration between NDLEA and its local and international partners, urging all commands and formations of the agency to remain unrelenting in their offensive action against the drug underworld.
