Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Lagos-based businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, over his alleged involvement in an attempt to smuggle 3.30 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside food cartons bound for the United Kingdom.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, Chinedu, 55, who deals in clothing at Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was arrested on Thursday, July 23, after NDLEA officers intercepted the cocaine shipment at the export section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a day earlier.
Babafemi said investigations into the intercepted consignment initially led to the arrest of three cargo agents before officers apprehended Kenneth Okakpu, who allegedly delivered the package for shipment to the UK.
Further investigation reportedly identified Chinedu as the alleged leader of the trafficking operation.
The agency said he was eventually arrested while allegedly making arrangements to send another cocaine consignment to the United Kingdom.
In another operation, NDLEA officers arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, on Tuesday, July 21.
Her arrest followed the interception of a 2.80-kilogram shipment of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, which arrived from the United States on a United Airlines flight the previous day.
The anti-drug agency also announced the seizure of 2,240,000 pills of Tapentadol 250mg with an estimated street value exceeding ₦2.2 billion.
According to the statement, the consignment arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight and was intercepted during a joint cargo inspection at the Lagos airport on Friday, July 24, following intelligence gathered by the agency.
In a separate seizure, NDLEA operatives recovered a shipment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap that was allegedly being prepared for export to the United Kingdom. The drugs were intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on Wednesday, July 22.
At the Apapa Seaport, officers uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kilograms hidden inside three imported vehicles. The agency estimated the street value of the drugs at more than ₦7.1 billion.
Elsewhere in Katsina State, NDLEA operatives arrested 30-year-old Mustapha Sani during a patrol in Baure, Safana Local Government Area, on Wednesday, July 22.
The agency said he was found with 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, including 200 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and another 123 rounds concealed on his person.
Another suspect, Abubakar Amadu, also 30, was arrested during a stop-and-search operation at Jere along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.
Babafemi said officers recovered 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition hidden inside kegs containing red oil.
He added that both suspects had been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi, Esan South-East Local Government Area, where they recovered 1,286 kilograms of cannabis and an additional 86 kilograms of cannabis seeds.
The agency also arrested 45-year-old Ojore Onweze, who was allegedly found with 60 kilograms of skunk, while another suspect, George Agwumede, 30, was arrested with 13 kilograms of the same illicit substance.
Babafemi said the series of operations reflects the agency’s sustained crackdown on drug trafficking networks and its commitment to preventing the distribution and export of illicit drugs across the country.
