NDLEA Foils Plans to Traffic Drugs to Italy, UAE

May 15, 2022
traffic drugs

By Adedapo Adesanya

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has foiled several plans to traffic drugs and other banned narcotics in and out of the country in the last week.

In the past few days, among other things, operatives stopped the export of Tramadol, Ecstasy MDMA, and Cannabis to Milan, Italy, and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos

The officials of the body also seized 203,879 tablets of various pharmaceutical opioids and illicit substances in raids across Abia, Kaduna, Yobe, and Kogi states.

At the Lagos airport, a female passenger, Ms Odia Emiliana Efe, was arrested on Monday, May 9 while trying to board a Royal Air Moroc flight from Lagos via Casablanca to Milan, Italy with 1000 tablets of Tramadol 200mg concealed in food items.

According to the spokesman for the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, five days after, Friday, May 13, a freight agent Kareem Ibrahim was arrested at the SAHCO cargo shed of the airport for attempting to export food items in which were hidden blocks of cannabis weighing 6.65kg and 24grams of ecstasy drug, MDMA to Dubai in UAE.

Meanwhile, in Abia, three trucks loaded with drugs coming from Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra was intercepted in Aba, Abia state. When properly searched in the presence of the owners on Wednesday, May 11, 67,100 tablets/capsules of Tramadol and 12,650 ampules of pentazocine, morphine, and dopamine were recovered.

On the same day, NDLEA operatives in Kaduna arrested a suspected drug dealer, Mr Shehu Kabiru a.k.a Dan-Zaira, who was previously declared wanted by the Kastina Command of the Agency for jumping bail.

Recovered from him include 45,000 tablets of Diazepam weighing 41.5kg; 50,000 tablets of Exol, weighing 15.6kg; 1,500 tablets of Rohypnol weighing 700 grams and 300 bottles of codeine weighing 41.5kg.

Similarly, in Yobe state, no fewer than 7,029 tablets of Tramadol, D5, and Exol as well as 1.5kg cannabis were recovered from a suspect, Mr Ibrahim Yakubu when his hideout was raided in Unguru town on Sunday, May 8, while in Rivers state, one Chekiri Richard Obomanu was arrested at Eleme area on Wednesday 11th May with 207.2kg cannabis.

No less than 19,600 tablets of Tramadol coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Abuja were intercepted and recovered along Okene/Abuja highway on Wednesday 11th May by NDLEA operatives in Kogi state.

In another development, five members of a syndicate, which conducts fake recruitment into security agencies, have been arrested in coordinated operations in Zamfara, Kebbi, and Bauchi states. The leader of the gang, identified as Mr Yakubu Sani was first arrested in Gusau, Zamfara state. His criminal gang issues fake NDLEA employment letters and identity cards to unsuspecting members of the public for the sum of N400, 000 per person.

A follow-up operation in Zuru, Kebbi state led to the arrest of another gang member, Ibrahim Isah, while three others; Mr Dahiru Musa Limanchi, Mr Gambo Danladi, and Mr Umar Abubakar were nabbed in Bauchi state. Recovered from them include a fake NDLEA ID card; NDLEA guarantor form; INEC offer of appointment letter; Nigerian Customs Special Replacement Form and appointment letter; Nigerian Correctional Service Replacement Form; Credentials of some Applicants; Receipts and passport photos; Five sim packs and one MTN SIM card.

Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Mr Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Abia, Kaduna, Yobe, Rivers, and Kogi for the arrests and seizures.

He equally acknowledged the well-conducted operations in Zamfara, Kebbi, and Bauchi that nailed five members of a criminal gang scamming innocent job seekers with fake employment letters.

He charged them and their compatriots across all commands not to rest on their oars but should continue to aspire to beat previous records.

Adedapo Adesanya

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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