The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 60-year-old drug kingpin who had been on the run for six years.
The suspect, whose name was not revealed, was captured on July 13 at his hideout in the Isheri area of Lagos. The agency said he had been wanted since 2019 for his involvement in drug trafficking across the country.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi confirmed the arrest in a statement on Sunday. He said the suspect was caught while trying to move large amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine to the South-East and other parts of Nigeria.
Babafemi explained that NDLEA officers first intercepted a white Toyota Sienna van around 5:45 am on the Apapa-Oshodi expressway at Ilasamaja. The van was heading to Onitsha, Anambra State.
With the help of sniffer dogs, officers discovered 7.6kg of cocaine and 900 grams of methamphetamine hidden in the body compartments of the vehicle.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the kingpin at his Lagos hideout where 1.8kg of cocaine and 1.3kg of methamphetamine were recovered.
Babafemi said NDLEA operatives also worked with the Aviation Security team of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to seize 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from an Italy-bound passenger. The suspect was caught at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Wednesday while travelling to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.
“The passenger claimed he bought the drugs himself and was planning to sell them in Italy for more money,” Babafemi said.
At the Lagos airport export shed, NDLEA also intercepted 17 parcels of skunk, a strong form of cannabis, concealed in cereal packs going to Pakistan. The seized drugs weighed 1.70kg, and a suspect was arrested.
In a separate operation on the Onitsha-Enugu expressway, 45,000 pills of tramadol were seized from a 30-year-old suspect on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers in Taraba State arrested two suspects in Gassol Local Government Area. They recovered 10,000 capsules of tramadol and a gram of cannabis.
