NDLEA nabs lady caught exporting illicit drugs to Qatar
• Seizes consignment hidden in noodle packs, razes tonnes of cannabis in Edo forest
OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) have arrested a 35- year- old lady, Chidinma Chinenye Agbazue after she was caught attempting to export 20 parcels of Cannabis sativa to Doha, Qatar through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport ( MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The Cannabis was weighing 10.70 kilogrammes and was concealed in an African salad popularly called Abacha and dried vegetables.
NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport working in partnership with men of the Department of State Security ( DSS) on March 28, intercepted Chidinma, an outbound passenger from Lagos to Doha, on Qatar Airways during clearance of passengers at the screening point of terminal 11 of the MMIA.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Chidinma was based in Qatar but returned to Nigeria last December for Christmas celebration. She said preparatory to her return to Doha, she was lodged at Club Dice Hotel in Ikotun area of Lagos where the consignment was handed over to her for trafficking to the Arab country.
Spokesperson for the agency, Femi Babafemi confirmed the development in a statement yesterday.
He also said two suspects: Monday Okeke and Chigozie Emeka were on Tuesday, March 26, arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oniwaya, Yaba and Agege area of Lagos.
The operatives recovered 842,560 pills of opioids, especially tramadol in addition to 15 litres of codeine syrup and 596 grammes of molly from them.
Attempt by Okeke to bribe the NDLEA officers with N5 million cash was rebuffed while the money was documented as part of exhibits to prosecute the suspects in court.
In Bayelsa, the bid by three suspects: Ebuka Eze, 31; Ugochukwu Okoro, 44; and Kingsley Uzim, 27, to smuggle opioids, including codeine, molly, tramadol and diazepam weighing a total of 73.425 kilogrammes to the creeks in Southern Ijaw area of the state was thwarted on March 27, by NDLEA operatives at Swali jetty, Yenagoa.
Ebuka and Ugochukwu were arrested in that location while Uzim was nabbed at Amasoma in a follow up operation.
The drugs were concealed in jumbo sacks and conveyed to the jetty in a tricycle.
While two suspects: Eniola Muyideen and Bankole Shuaib were arrested with 137 blocks of cannabis weighing 71kg during a raid at Orile Imo, Ogun state on March 29.
Also, NDLEA operatives in Taraba recovered 39,980 pills of tramadol from a suspect, Abubakar Mohammed, 33, in Lankaviri village, and another suspect, Apaji Vincent, 29, arrested in Wukari on March 28, with 131kg Cannabis sativa.
In Abia State, Nwachukwu Chinedu, 28, was arrested on March 29, at Akara Ahuba, Isikwuato Local Council by NDLEA officers. The operatives recovered 46.65kg cannabis and different quantities of tramadol, methamphetamine and rohypnol as well as N71,500 from him as exhibits.
At least, 127.5kg cannabis loaded in a Volkswagen Vento saloon car marked NTT 215 AA was recovered along Isua/ Kabba road, Idoani area of Ose Local Council of Ondo State, while a 30- year- old female suspect, Chinasa Christopher was arrested with 400 bottles of codeine syrup in Sabon Gari area of Kano.
The owner of a consignment of illicit drugs intercepted along Zaria- Kano road, Bakura Goni was arrested at Mile 2 market in Lagos on March 26, in a follow up operation and flown to Kano to face charges.
The consignment consisting of cannabis and tramadol weighing 73.8kg was earlier seized in a truck conveying it from Lagos to Kano. While 278kg of cannabis going to Idoani in Ondo State was recovered during a raid at Oloma- Okpe forest, Akoko- Edo Local Council of Edo State, not less than 3,065.255kg of the same psychoactive substance was razed on two farms at Amahor waterside forest in Igueben area of the state.