Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have disrupted attempts by drug syndicates to export significant consignments of cocaine, methamphetamine, and opioids to destinations including the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, Qatar, and Ghana.
The operations took place at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, and other locations across Nigeria.
On November 5, 2024, NDLEA officers at the export shed of Lagos Airport intercepted 13 parcels of cocaine weighing 4.40kg.
The consignment, destined for the UK via Frankfurt aboard a Lufthansa Airlines flight, was traced to a businessman, Ekeocha Nelson.
He was apprehended on November 8, according to a statement by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
Another businessman, identified as Adegbite Solomon, alias “Obama,” was arrested at the Lagos airport on November 11.
He attempted to smuggle 7,800 tramadol pills, 180 Rohypnol tablets, and 60 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in food items.
Solomon, who claimed to have earned a living as a street beggar in Europe before venturing into logistics, was caught while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy.
In a separate operation on November 15, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided a hotel at the Federal Housing Authority Estate, Lugbe, Abuja.
Two suspects, Omeh Uchenna Jude (36) and Anene Valentine Chigozie (34), were arrested with 1.8kg of methamphetamine. The duo was reportedly preparing to transport the drugs to Qatar.
On the same day, NDLEA officers at Lagos Airport apprehended a businessman, Anoke Roomy, attempting to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. He was found with 1,100 tramadol pills hidden in his luggage.
In another operation on November 16, a trans-border drug trafficker, Emmanuel Okechukwu Okeke, was intercepted on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway while attempting to smuggle 50,000 tramadol 225mg pills from Ghana to Lagos.
The pills were hidden in the compartments of a Toyota Hummer Bus belonging to GUO Transport Company.
The NDLEA also confirmed the arrests of other drug dealers and the seizure of their consignments in Edo and Kwara states.
Commending the operatives, NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to disrupting drug syndicates and protecting Nigeria from the scourge of illicit drugs.
“These arrests and seizures are a testament to the agency’s unwavering resolve to ensure that drug traffickers find no safe haven in Nigeria,” Marwa said.
The NDLEA urged citizens to report suspicious activities to aid in its fight against drug trafficking.
