NDLEA arrests wanted Lagos socialite, woman linked to Pakistani cocaine syndicate
• Recovers over 7.7tons of Cannabis sativa, arrests 20 suspects, intercepts 497,900 tramadol at Lagos airport
OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA), have arrested fleeing Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Alhaji Ademola Afolabi Kazeem ( a. k. a Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem Muhammed), ten days after he was declared wanted for offences bordering on exportation and trafficking of illicit drugs as well as money laundering.
Kazeem was declared wanted on November 1, following his failure to honour NDLEA’S invitations and an order granted by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The wanted drug kingpin was uncovered as the sponsor of some traffickers arrested by the anti- narcotics agency in their recent attempt to export cocaine to Dubai, United Arab Emirate ( UAE) and other destinations outside Nigeria.
NDLEA’S spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, yesterday, said the search for him however paid off on Thursday, November 10, when he was successfully taken into custody, where he is currently being interviewed.
According to Babafemi, Kazeem’s lid was blown open after the arrest of one of his mules, Bolujoko Muyiwa Babalola, a Lagos BRT driver on June 27, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport ( MMIA), Ikeja, when he named Alhaji Ademola Kazeem, alias Adekaz as the owner of the 900 grammes of cocaine he ingested.
Following Adekaz’s failure to honour invitations sent to him, the Agency approached a Federal High Court in Lagos with three prayers: to attach and seal his identified properties in choice areas of Lagos island and Ibadan; declare him wanted and block his bank account with a cash balance of N217 million, all of which were granted.
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N a related development, NDLEA’S operatives have arrested a businesswoman, Okefun Darlington Chisom over her links with two Pakistanis: Asif Muhammed, 45 and Hussain Naveed, 57, arrested at the Lagos airport with eight kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in a sound system while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Lahole, Pakistan via Doha on Saturday, November 5.
An automobile parts dealer, Omeje Oliver ( a. k. a David Mark), who was arrested on Monday, October 31, in Enugu where he fled to, after abandoning his business at Aspanda, Trade Fair Complex Lagos since April 16, in connection with the seizure of 600 grams of heroin concealed inside soles of lady’s foot wears going to Liberia, has been linked to another drug seizure.
A further look at the Agency’s database revealed that Omeje was also involved in a case of 1.580kg Methamphetamine that was seized from one Victor Nwobodo Friday, who was arrested at the MMIA during his aborted trip to Jakarta, Indonesia on February 6, 2018. Charges have been filed against the suspect at the Federal High Court Lagos in respect of the old seizure in addition to the recent one.
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EANWHILE, NDLEA’S operatives attached to Skyway Aviation Handling Company ( SAHCO) import shed of the MMIA Lagos have intercepted another consignment of tramadol from Karachi, Pakistan.
A total of six cartons, comprising 497,900 tablets of Royal Tramaking brand of tramadol 225mg with a gross weight of 304.90 kilogrammes were recovered, after a joint examination by stakeholders on Friday, November 11.
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LSO, the anti- drug operatives in Ogun State in the early hours of Saturday, November 12, raided a warehouse at Ogere area of Ikene Local Council, where they seized 273 jumbo bags of Cannabis sativa weighing 3,533 kilogrammes ( 3.533tons) from a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jesutofunmi
Solomon. This came on the heels of the seizure of 176kgs of Cannabis sativa at Ogere trailer park on Wednesday, November 9 and the destruction of 15 hectares of Cannabis sativa plantation in Gbamgbam area of the state.
In the same vein, operatives in Osun State have raided a Cannabis sativa plantation at Obada sawmill, Owena Ijesa in Oriade Local Council, where they destroyed 1.2 hectares, recovered 2,823kgs of processed Cannabis sativa and arrested 13 suspects on Sunday, November 6.
In Ondo State, operatives seized 78kgs of Cannabis sativa from a dealer, Beauty Godwin at Ofosu along Benin- Ore express way, and another 264kgs from Abdul Rasheed Mohammed, and Abdul Rasheed Haruna at Sanusi camp 2 in Owo, while in Rivers state, anti- narcotics officers of the Agency arrested Damion Onuoha during a raid at Elele Alimini community, Emuoha Local
Council, where he was found with 1.6kgs of Methamphetamine as well as monetary exhibit amounting to N650,700.00. A joint operation with the military at Habour road, Port Harcourt City also led to the arrest of Sandra David and seizure of different quantities of cocaine and heroin as well as about N2.055 million cash exhibit from her home.
In Edo State, operatives located and destroyed 10 clusters of Cannabis sativa farms measuring 14 hectares at Igwalor forest, Uhunmwonde Local Council, where five bags of processed Cannabis sativa weighing 47.7kgs were recovered, while a raid at Obadan village, in the same Local Council also led to the recovery 11 bags of Cannabis sativaseeds weighing 399kgs and 34 bags of processed substance weighing 431kgs, bringing the total weight to 830kgs. Two suspects: Enododia Sunday and Osayaba Paul were arrested at the scene.