A businessman, Kingsley Celestino, was on Saturday , March, 2023, arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, after the discovery of 9.4 kilogrammes of heroin concealed in false bottoms of his two travelling bags.
Celestino, a business class passenger on Qatar Airline flight, was on his way to India when he was arrested at Terminal 2 of the MMIA, Thenewsbearer learnt from a release by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, March 5.
Though a native of Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, the 49-year-old was travelling with a Guinean international passport.
According to Babafemi, “preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect frequently travels to India on business class tickets. He claimed he deals in clothing business between Nigeria and India.
“It was further established that he obtained the Guinean international passport in Guinea Bissau, where he said his mother came from.”
Also, a 24-year-old passenger, Etounu Monday, who was travelling to Oman, was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Monday, February 27, while attempting to export 1.924kg of skunk concealed in cream tubes during the outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight ET 950.
At the Tincan seaport, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday, March 3, recovered 244 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 79 kilogrammes concealed in medium size wooden sound system speakers packed inside two out of four used vehicles in a container marked CRSU9258348 coming from Toronto via Montreal, Canada.
The imported vehicles used as cover for the drugs are a 2009 Jeep Wrangler and a 2009 Honda Ridgeline.
Loud is a high-quality cannabis that creates stronger and faster side effects than the regular one.
Similarly, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, attached to courier firms in Lagos intercepted a consignment of nine parcels of methamphetamine concealed in native black soap, Dudu Osun, heading to Europe.
No fewer than 778,190 pills of pharmaceutical opioids, including tramadol and a drum of 270kg Methylene Chloride, were recovered by operatives from a suspect, Eric Pepe Yohanna, aged 33, in Jalingo, Taraba State on Monday, February 27, following credible intelligence.
Also seized from him is a Daylong tricycle used in distributing the illicit substances.
A wanted drug dealer, Mamudu Njobdi, was arrested in Adamawa State, after his house at Sebore, Gyalla road, Dougada ward, Mubi, was raided in the early hours of Monday, February 27, with drug exhibits recovered.
The 31-year-old suspect was earlier arrested on Wednesday, February 22, at his drug joint in Kolere water board but mobilized thugs to attack NDLEA officers and in the process escaped with exhibits.
While a suspect, Geoffrey Okpani, 31, was arrested at Bukuru area of Jos, Plateau State with 27.45kg of cannabis, Ajayi Tope, 30, was arrested on Saturday, March 4, at Area 5 Ile-Ife, in Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State with 18kg of same substance.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday, March 3, raided De-Niche Hotel & Suites, Omole estate, Ojodu Ikeja where 24 suspects were arrested and different quantities of illicit drugs recovered from them.
In his reaction to the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers, men and women of MMIA, NAIA, Tincan, Taraba, Adamawa, Plateau, Osun and Lagos Commands, as well as DOGI, for their efforts.
He charged them and their counterparts across the country to intensify the ongoing mop up operations to deny political thugs access to illicit substances ahead of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections this weekend.
