The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 55-year-old Lagos businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, for allegedly attempting to export 3.3 kilograms of cocaine concealed in cartons of food items destined for the United Kingdom.
The suspect, a clothing trader at the popular Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was arrested on Thursday, 23 July, following the interception of the illicit consignment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a day earlier.
According to a statement on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, investigations initially led to the arrest of three cargo agents, Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed, and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim, as well as Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the shipment for export.
Further investigations identified Onuigbo as the alleged mastermind of the drug trafficking syndicate, leading to his arrest while allegedly attempting to dispatch another cocaine consignment to the UK.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, at her Surulere residence in Lagos on Tuesday, July 21, after intercepting a 2.8kg consignment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, imported from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight.
The agency also recorded a major breakthrough at the Lagos airport, where operatives recovered 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, estimated to be worth over N2.2 billion in street value. The consignment, which arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight, was intercepted during a joint examination based on intelligence received by the agency.
The seizure came shortly after NDLEA officers intercepted another shipment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap intended for export to the United Kingdom through a Lagos courier company.
At the Apapa Seaport, NDLEA operatives uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kilograms and valued at over N7.1 billion in street value. The drugs were concealed inside three imported vehicles packed in a container examined on July 20.
Beyond drug seizures, the agency also intercepted illegal ammunition in separate operations. In Katsina State, 30-year-old Mustapha Sani was arrested at Baure in Safana Local Government Area with 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition comprising 200 rounds of 7.62mm and 123 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition.
Similarly, another suspect, Abubakar Amadu, 30, was arrested during a stop-and-search operation along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition hidden inside kegs of red oil. NDLEA said both suspects had been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
In Edo State, anti-narcotics operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, where they recovered 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds. Two additional suspects, Ojore Onweze, 45, and George Agwumede, 30, were arrested with 60kg and 13kg of skunk respectively.
