The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully uncovered and thwarted the efforts of drug syndicates attempting to export illicit substances, including methamphetamine and opioids, through clever concealment methods. Operating at courier firms in Lagos, the NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted various consignments intended for Europe, the United Arab Emirates, and Asia.
Among the intercepted consignments were tramadol 225mg concealed in the hems of new jeans trousers bound for Cyprus, cannabis sativa hidden in dolls en route to Dubai, UAE, sachets of tramadol 225mg buried in tins of Milo beverage and local soap heading to the UAE, and methamphetamine concealed in buttons destined for Hong Kong. Notably, a shipment from Florida, USA, was also seized, leading to the arrest of Daniel Ogi at Akeem Shittu Street, Ajao Estate Lagos, on November 24, 2023.
In a significant operation on December 1, NDLEA operatives arrested a drug kingpin, Okechukwu Ogala, 56, at the Blue Moon Hotel in Okota, Lagos, seizing 60 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.009 kilograms. Additionally, the operatives recovered 393kgs of cannabis in a shop at Akala, Mushin, Lagos, and arrested Justin Enuonye in Victoria Island with 154 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 92kgs.
Further operations in Lagos led to the interception of a vehicle at Oyingbo, recovering 108kgs of cannabis, and the recovery of 675 kilograms of the same substance from the store of a wanted dealer, Wahab Olota, at Adedoja, Mushin. In Edo, NDLEA operatives recovered 5,988 kilograms of processed cannabis in the Ujiogba forest, Esan West LGA, arresting Mson Bunde in connection with the operation.
In Anambra, 120,000 capsules of tramadol were seized along the Onitsha-Awka road, and in Gombe, 123 blocks of cannabis weighing 73kgs were recovered from Abdullahi Muhammad Bello. Operatives in Abuja intercepted 168 blocks of the same psychoactive substance weighing 101kgs from a fleeing drug dealer in the Kabusa area of the FCT.
Additionally, NDLEA operatives intercepted a vehicle transporting 8,000 bottles of codeine syrup along the Abuja-Kaduna road, leading to the arrest of the driver, Shamsu Isiyaku, and his conductor, Muhammad Maina. Ernest Esechie was arrested with 44.4 kilograms of compressed cannabis sativa along Gwantu-Sanga road, Kaduna, and Ahmad Umar was apprehended with 46.4kgs of cannabis at a checkpoint in Kabba, Kogi.
The NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign across various commands, conducting sensitization lectures for students in Anambra, Kano, Ondo, Rivers, Osun, and Borno states. Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the outstanding feats of the officers and men across multiple commands, emphasizing the importance of their efforts in both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.