Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended three visually impaired individuals involved in an illicit drug operation linking Lagos and Kano.
The NDLEA revealed this development in an official statement signed by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and shared on the agency’s Facebook page.
The breakthrough in uncovering this illegal drug ring came after the arrest of a blind suspect, Adamu Hassan, aged 40, along the Gwagwalada expressway in Abuja.
He was found in possession of 12 kilograms of skunk while on his way from Lagos to Kano on Saturday 28th, October, Babafemi said.
However, investigations established that Hassan was entirely unaware of the contents of the bag he was transporting to Kano, Babafemi added.
The statement revealed, “No less than Fourteen Million, Four Hundred and Eighty-One Thousand, Five Hundred and Nineteen (14, 481, 519) pills of Tramadol and bottles of codeine syrup worth over thirteen billion Naira (N13,000,000,000) in street value have been recovered by operatives of the National Drug Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in three major busts of drug cartels operating in Amuwo Odofin, Idumota and the SAHCO shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos.
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“The three intelligence-led operations began with the raid of House 8/10 Hon. Wahuha Avenue, Divine Estate, Ago Palace area of Amuwo Odofin on Sunday 29th October, where 490,000 pills of Tramadol and 81,519 bottles of codeine syrup measuring 4, 510, 000mls were recovered.
“In a similar operation on Tuesday 31st October, NDLEA operatives swooped on a secret warehouse operated by a billionaire Idumota trader, Nwaoha Anayo, located at Onitire, Aguda area of Surulere where Twelve Million Seven Hundred Thousand (12, 700, 000) pills of Tramadol were recovered.
“In the same vein, 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 and One Million Two Hundred and Ten Thousand (1, 210, 000) pills of Tramadol seized from them 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, while three other suspects: Sarki Mubarak Salami; Abdullahi Aliyu (aka Aboki); and Monday Anwal, are now on the run and wanted by NDLEA.
“At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Sunday 29th October intercepted yet another businessman, 50-year-old Nwokolo Ifeanyi Anthony, during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 878 to Amsterdam, Netherlands via Paris, France at the boarding gate and was body scanned. The result turned out to be positive for illicit drug ingestion.
“The suspect, who traveled 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 1.330 kilogrammes.”
The NDLEA continues its relentless efforts to combat drug trafficking and the associated criminal activities, ensuring the safety and security of the nation.