Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Sunday paraded an online drug trafficking cartel that specialized in retailing drugged cookies, brownies and other illicit substances to residents of Abuja through their social media accounts.

The suspects who were busted recently were said to have been apprehended in Abuja.

This was contained in statement released by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi and made available to WuzupNigeria.

“As a result, five members of the organised drug criminal group were arrested during sting operations carried out between Friday 7th May and Saturday 8th May, 2021 by officers of the FCT Command of the Agency during which different brands of illicit drugs were recovered from them.

“The nabbed drug dealers include Queen Nvene, Collins Ozoemena, Samson Peter, Chika Nvene, and Habila Musa,” he said.

Babafemi stated that the group specialises in clandestine production of drug based cookies, brownies and other edibles; markets and sells same online, through their Twitter and Instagram handles.

He alleged that the cartel also market and sell all types of marijuana ranging from Arizona, Colorado and Loud, among other illicit drugs, online.

“While Queen Nvene, a graduate of Business Administration, produces drug cookies and brownies and sells same on Instagram, Collins Ozoemena sells all types of illicit drugs, especially Loud and skunk online.

“Samson Peter, on the other hand, is the manager of SK express courier company, who manages motorcycles and dispatch riders to deliver illicit drugs from Collins and drugged edibles (cookies, cakes and brownies) from Queen and Chika, both sisters.

“Members of the cartel operate from different locations within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, but operate as a network,” he said.

The NDLEA spokesman disclosed that their arrest followed online orders of drug-based edibles by undercover agents.

He noted that supplies of brownies and cookies were delivered and received from different SK Express dispatch riders at various times by narcotic operatives before the final sting operation.

His report was corroborated by the Commander, FCT Command of the Agency, Mohammed Malami Sokoto, who declared that follow-up raids of their various locations in Gudu, Kubwa, Lokogoma, Apo and Damangazo all in Abuja, led to the seizure of some illicit substances.

“Seized from Queen include; 55 pieces of drugged cookies and brownies; 1.3 kilogrammes of skunk used as ingredient for making cookies and brownies, while 0.9 grammes of ecstasy, popularly called molley, 300 grammes of skunk, and 200 grammes of Loud were recovered from Collins. Also, 300 grammes of skunk were seized from Chika.

“Other items recovered from the syndicate include: a dispatch motorcycle, various equipment for producing cookies and brownies, 10 telephone handsets and two laptops used for online drug trafficking transactions,” he said.

Sokoto stated that in the course of interrogation, the suspects confessed that they had a large platform of customers who order for drugs and drug based cookies, brownies and edibles, on daily basis for parties and ceremonies, in and outside Abuja.

They also admitted that they use the manager of SK Express Courier Company to deliver their products through motorcycle riders and power bikers, popularly called droppers.

The suspected drug traffickers further claimed that they have been in the business for over three years.

Reacting to the arrest, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the agency and charged them not to rest on their oars.

“I’m particularly impressed with the speed with which the officers of our FCT Command disrupted the online drug trafficking cartel that has been ravaging the nation’s capital for over three years and I must commend them and their counterparts in Ondo and Rivers for their recent feats”, Marwa stated on Sunday.