Not less than 14, 481, 519 million pills of tramadol and bottles of codeine syrup, with street value of N13billion, have been recovered in Lagos by operatives of the anti-narcotics agency.
A drug trafficker also excreted 86 wraps of heroin, just as the NDLEA also intercepted 3.2kgs Saudi-bound cocaine, all in Lagos.
These were disclosed by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a press release detailing the activities of the anti-narcotics agency in the past one week.
As stated in the release, the lid was blown off the group of blind drug ring following the arrest of a blind suspect, Adamu Hassan (40), along Gwagwalada Expressway Abuja with 12kgs of skunk on his way from Lagos to Kano, last Saturday.
“Investigations however established that he was totally oblivious of the content of the bag handed to him to deliver in Kano.
“Follow up operations led to the arrest of the arrowhead of the syndicate, Bello Abubakar (45), who is also blind.
“In his statement, Bello who is married with five children said he has been living in Lagos for 30 years but started the illicit drug business five years ago.
“Another suspect, Muktar Abubakar (59) who is equally blind, has been living in Lagos for 40 years and married to three wives with 14 children.
“Both Muktar Abubakar and Bello Abubakar are joint owners of the business, while the third suspect, Akilu Amadu (25), also blind, equally contributes money to the criminal trade.
“Akilu was indeed the one who delivered the consignment to Adamu at the motor park in Lagos to deliver in Kano.
“Another blind suspect who is the expected receiver of the consignment in Kano, Mallam Aminu, is currently at large,” it was disclosed.
The 14, 481, 519 pills of opioids were recovered in three major busts of drug cartels operating in Amuwo Odofin, Idumota and the SAHCO Shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
As stated in the release, the three intelligence-led operations began with the raid of House 8/10 Hon. Wahuha Avenue, Divine Estate, Ago Palace area of Amuwo Odofin last Sunday.
490,000 pills of tramadol and 81,519 bottles of codeine syrup measuring 4, 510, 000mls were recovered during the raid.
In a similar operation, last Tuesday, NDLEA operatives swooped on a secret warehouse located at Onitire, Aguda area of Surulere.
12, 700, 000 million pills of tramadol were recovered from the warehouse said to be operated by a billionaire Idumota trader, Nwaoha Anayo.
At least, six members of a syndicate using their official cover to facilitate the smuggling of illicit drugs through the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Warehouse at the Lagos Airport into the country have been arrested.
One Million Two Hundred and Ten Thousand (1, 210, 000) pills of tramadol were seized from the syndicate in a painstaking operation that lasted for weeks.
The six suspects already in NDLEA custody include: Oladele Sanya-Olu; Lawal Itunu Temitope; Sanamo Alla Daniel; Udeh Felix Monday; Musa Mutalib and Unege Evans Icibor.
Three other suspected members of the syndicate, Sarki Mubarak Salami; Abdullahi Aliyu (aka Aboki); and Monday Anwal, are now on the run and have been declared wanted by NDLEA.
NDLEA operatives, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, NDLEA operatives, last Sunday, intercepted yet another businessman, 50-year-old Nwokolo Ifeanyi Anthony.
Anthony was arrested during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 878 to Amsterdam, Netherlands via Paris, France at the boarding gate and his was body scanned.
As contained in the release, the result of the test on the businessman turned out to be positive for illicit drug ingestion.
“The suspect, who travelled from Lagos to board the flight, was subsequently kept under observation for some days during which he excreted a total of 86 pellets of heroin weighing 1.330kilograms,” it was stated.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives of DOGI, attached to courier firms, last Monday, intercepted 22 parcels of cocaine concealed in the walls of a carton containing sewn local fabrics, popularly called Aso Oke, heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
NDLEA operatives in Osun State stormed the Obada Sawmill Forest in Owena-Ijesa, Oriade Local Government Area, last Saturday.
A suspect, Monday Sylvester (37), was arrested on a 6.01 hectares of cannabis farm which was destroyed and 489.8kgs already processed plant recovered.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives in Edo State raided a trans-loading point inside Avbiosi forest, Owan West Local Government Area where 603 kilograms of the illicit substance were seized.
Also, NDLEA officers in Ogun State, last Friday, recovered a Toyota Sienna bus from a ditch, at Ajebo Area, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 460kgs of cannabis, while a total of 116.5kgs of cannabis sativa belonging to a suspect at large were seized at Olagunju, Mushin area of Lagos.
NDLEA commands and formations continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy lectures across the country.
Some of the sensitisation lectures in the past week were organised by: NDLEA Zone N Command, in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State command for principals of secondary schools in the state;
Kano State Command at Government Science and Technical College, Wudil; Gombe State Command for students of Haruna Rasheed College of Health Sciences, Dukku;
Anambra State Command for students of Community Secondary School, Ezi-Awka;
Zone I Command in collaboration with Osun State Command and the state Ministry of Education for over 320 secondary school principals in the state;
Oyo State Command at Anglican Grammar School, Starlight, Ogbomoso with 2,032 students in attendance;
And the Ogun State Command for students and staff of Gateway Junior Secondary School, Abeokuta.
Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), has commended the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Lagos, Osun, Edo and FCT commands as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures of the past week.
He charged them and their compatriots across the country to remain focused as the agency expands its operations against drug cartels.
