Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, have intercepted a consignment of tramadol, Rohypnol, ecstasy (designer drug) and cannabis that were concealed in some winter jackets and bottles of body cream.
The psychoactive substances were recovered at the new terminal of the airport on Friday, April 14th, following the arrest of a passenger, Joshia Sunday, who was onboard a Qatar Airline flight via Doha to Oman, Middle East.
A thorough search of the suspects’ two black bags led to the discovery of 4.80 kilograms of cannabis concealed in three winter jackets and various quantities of tramadol, Rohypnol, and ecstasy (designer drugs) hidden in bottles of body lotion.
Preliminary investigation revealed the suspect came into Nigeria from Oman on April 7th, and was returning exactly a week after.
Similarly, a Lagos-based businessman, Cyril Chidiebere, was on Friday, April 14th, arrested along with two of his freight agents, Mejabi Peter Sunday and Oyeyinka Babatunde, over their involvement in the importation of twelve (12) parcels of loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 6.50kg, which was part of a consolidated cargo brought in from the United States of America. The arrest and seizure followed a three-day intelligence-led operation.
Following the arrival of the cargo at the NAHCO import shed of the MMIA, its movement out of the airport was closely monitored in a sting operation until the actual importer, Cyril Chidiebere, was arrested in his house at Abraham Adesanya Estate, Ajah, Lekki Area of Lagos.
Both Mejabi and Chidiebere have made useful statements confirming the latter has been involved in dealing with illicit drugs in the past.
Meanwhile, a pregnant woman, Rabetu Abdulrasak, age 24, and a cripple, Shehu Adams, have been arrested by NDLEA operatives in the Agbede, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State with over 14 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs including cannabis, methamphetamine, tramadol and swinol on Saturday April 15th.
In the same vein, a 22-year-old HND1 female student of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, Isoyo Iveren Susan was on Saturday, April 15th arrested opposite the 2nd Gate of the institution for dealing in illicit drugs.
Items recovered from her include 1,100ML of codeine-based cough syrup and 283 grams of cannabis.
This is coming just as operatives in its Lagos office arrested two suspects, Nonso Peter, age 21, and Bright Chibike, age 23, with 43.4kg cannabis at Ile-Epo, Abule-Egba Area of the state on Friday, April 14th.
In Katsina State, no less than 1,730 bottles of codeine-based syrup were seized from a suspect, Bishir Saadu in the Katsina metropolis on Sunday, April 9th just as Muhamadu Yusuf was equally arrested the same day with 8,000 capsules of tramadol inside a commercial bus along Kano-Katsina Road.
Also, in Kaduna, NDLEA operatives on Thursday, April 13th raided a clandestine laboratory, where mist potassium citrate was being produced in a residential apartment at 16, Sabon Gari, Zaria.
The owner of the lab one, Christopher Agodi was arrested and 102 cartons containing 2,448 bottles of the substance were recovered.
A suspect, Salisu Abdullahi, age 25, was also arrested along Abuja-Kaduna Road with 11.7kg cannabis concealed in two jerrycans, which he was moving from Port-Harcourt to Kano.
NDLEA Operatives also on Saturday, April 15th nabbed one, Atiku Abubakar, age 22, on the same road with 50 blocks of cannabis weighing 28kg, while travelling from Lagos to Shinkafi in Zamfara State in a commercial bus.
Similarly, some anti-narcotic officers, acting on a tip-off, arrested two suspects, Aminu Saudi, age 45 and Abdullahi Sani, age 35, at Ogbese, Ondo State, with 11 jumbo bags containing 211kg of cannabis concealed in rice chaff.
This was closely followed by the destruction of six hectares of cannabis farm in the Uso forest in the state on Thursday, April 13th.