Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered consignments of illicit substances in Lagos.
The items, which included consignments of cocaine and Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, were concealed in various everyday items such as incense candles, game packs, dry hibiscus leaves, and ladies’ native dresses, according to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi.
The hard drugs were meant to be smuggled in and out of Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA). Several suspects have been apprehended in connection with the smuggling attempt.
A businessman, Abdulwahab Owolabi Alebiosu, was arrested at his residence in Horizon Court, Lekki, Lagos, on Thursday, July 18, 2024. This arrest followed the interception of a consignment containing 40 parcels of Loud, weighing 20.30 kilograms.
The drugs were hidden in packs of chessboards, scrabbles, checkers, and poker sets, brought in from Canada on a British Airways flight. The cargo was intercepted during a joint examination with Customs Service personnel at the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport.
A search of Alebiosu’s home led to the recovery of additional exhibits, including drug paraphernalia, such as a weighing scale and a cannabis potency test kit.
Four vaping machines were also recovered from his business premises on Admiralty Way, Lekki. A Mikano black truck with registration number FST 657 HP was seized from his house.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO export shed of the MMIA intercepted two jumbo bags on Friday, July 19, 2024. The bags contained dried hibiscus leaves, dried bitter leaves, and other food items used to conceal four parcels of cocaine and 14 parcels of Loud, both weighing 1.360kg.
This led to the arrest of businesswoman Eze Queen Ogechi, who claimed she was sending the illicit consignment to Pakistan on the instructions of her brother, Eze Nnamdi Promise, based in South Asia.
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Additionally, NDLEA operatives at Terminal II, Departure Gate of the MMIA, intercepted a male Beninese passenger, Orobi Adoubi Amen, traveling with a bag containing some female native dresses on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
The suspect was en route to Dubai via Accra, Ghana, on an Air Peace Airline flight and a connecting flight to Dubai, UAE, on Emirates Airline. A thorough search of the bag revealed eight parcels of Loud, weighing 2.10kg, concealed in the ladies’ native wears. The suspect claimed he was promised a fee of N600,000 for successfully delivering the consignment in Dubai.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the anti-narcotics officers for their operational successes.
He appreciated their efforts and urged them to continue intensifying ongoing drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
This series of interceptions and arrests demonstrates the NDLEA’s commitment to tackling drug trafficking and ensuring that Nigeria remains a hostile environment for drug-related activities.
