NDLEA uncovers illicit drugs at shrine, underground storage in Lagos

NDLEA uncovers illicit drugs at shrine, underground storage in Lagos

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the weekend uncovered illicit substances at Igbo-Igunuko shrine located at Alfa Beach in Ajah as well as an underground storage in Lekki areas of Lagos.

The illicit substance suspected to be Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,760kg were recovered on Friday and two suspects, Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun arrested, said the NDLEA in a statement. 

Spokesman for the agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement said that total of 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, rohypnol and diazepam, as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from an underground storage that one Muhammad Warnos Abdullahi dug in his bedroom at Marwa Coastal Road, Lekki Phase 1 Lagos.

He said the underground storage was uncovered during a raid of the suspect’s residence on Friday, saying the storage was dug in his bedroom, covered it with padlocked iron slate and rug before putting his mattress on top to avoid detection.

Babafemi said another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin was arrested the same Friday with 770kg of suspected cannabis along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

According to Babafemi, consignments of opioids concealed in soles of shoes and hair attachments heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Cyprus were intercepted by the agency’s operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos and three courier companies in the state.

He said a total of 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in soles of 13 pairs of shoes going to Cyprus were seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on October 12, and additional 380 tablets recovered from the home of the sender, Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna during a follow up operation in Enugu on Thursday, October 24, adding that N968,880 cash and a Toyota Avalon car marked UWN389AS, were also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest. 

Continuing, Babafemi said the agency intercepted at least 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection, and 1.690kg cannabis and tramadol tablets concealed in hair attachments and soles of shoes going to the United States, United Kingdom and Oman at three courier firms on Thursday.

“In the same vein, a total of 26,250,000 pills of tramadol as well as 508,400 bottles of codeine based syrup worth Sixteen Billion Six Hundred and Eighty Three Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N16, 683, 800,000) in street value were intercepted by NDLEA operatives during 100 percent joint examination of watch-listed containers with men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Tincan Port in Lagos and Port Harcourt Port, Onne, Rivers states between Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd October. 

“Other illicit consignments intercepted during the joint inspection of the containers include 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700kg at Tincan and Onne respectively, while 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28kg were also recovered from a container that arrived the Lagos Port from Canada. 

“A suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested at Ago Palace area of Okota Lagos in connection with the cannabis seizure while a bribe of N10million paid NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as part of the exhibits for the prosecution of the case,” he said. 

In Plateau, a suspect Fadan Bindom, 39, was arrested at Pilgani village in possession of 65.85kg cannabis and 18 grams of tramadol, while another suspect Sunday Agbata, 42, was nabbed at Pavwei-Rayfield Jos South LGA with 5,830 tablets and ampoules of bromazepam, diazepam and pentazocine injection on Wednesday 23rd October.

A major distributor of illicit drugs in FCT Abuja, Umar Muhammed, 40, was on Monday October 21, nabbed following the earlier seizure of a consignment of 198.5kg cannabis linked to him at Wuse Market Park. 

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives recovered 640kg cannabis concealed in 80 jumbo bags of fresh vegetables at Ewu junction, Irrua, Esan Central LGA and arrested a suspect, Austin Oruamen, 27, while  another suspect Adereti Kazeem, 35, was nabbed with 200 blocks of cannabis weighing 133kg at Obalayan, Ile-Ife, Osun State on Thursday  October 24.