•As NDLEA intercepts US-bound Meth, Akuskura, arrests pregnant female drug dealer
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazilian returnee and father of two, Okolie Paulinus Nwabueze, for importing 92 wraps of cocaine.
Nwabueze was nabbed on Friday, September 2, 2022, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, on his arrival through Qatar Airline flight, enroute Brazil-Doha-Abuja.
The wraps of cocaine which were ingested were eventually excreted after days under observation in the Agency’s facility.
Confirming this in a statement on Sunday, September 11, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said that the 53-year-old trafficker, who hails from Mmaku village, Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, claimed to have left Nigeria to Mozambique in 2004 and finally relocated to Brazil in 2017, where he obtained a residence permit before deciding to import the illicit substance for a $4,000 fee.
Also, a 42-year-old man, Aliyu Bello Kwasare, has been arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, MAKIA, Kano, for attempting to export a consignment of new psychoactive substance, Akuskura, to Saudi Arabia.
The indigene of Kware LGA, Sokoto, who lives in Goron Dutse area of Kano, was arrested on Monday, September 5, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Riyadh.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, over one million tablets of Tramadol 225mg were seized through inter-agency collaboration between NDLEA and the Nigerian Customs Service.
The pharmaceutical opioids, packed in 50 cartons weighing 2,058.90kg, were imported from Pakistan via Addis-Ababa on Ethiopian Airways.
The consignment was concealed among other non-controlled pharmaceuticals.
Also, a freight agent, Aliyu Abubakar was on Friday, September 9, arrested at the NAHCO export shed of the airport over an attempt to export a consignment of cannabis concealed inside bottles of Caro white body lotion.
Meanwhile, attempts by drug cartels to export 7.805 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine to the United States of America and Australia, have been thwarted by NDLEA operatives attached to some courier companies in Lagos.
The meth consignments were concealed in the linings of local fabric, wooden statutes, printer cartridges, handle of travel bag and cassava flakes.
A 25-year-old pregnant woman, Haruna Favour, was arrested in Auchi, Edo state on Friday, September 9, with 82 pinches of methamphetamine as well as various quantities of Loud, Arizona, Colorado variants of cannabis and cough syrup containing codeine.
In Gombe, 119,000 tablets and capsules of tramadol, D5 and Exol5 were recovered from two drug dealers, Nasiru Abubakar, 22, and Umaru Bayero a.k.a Hadiza, when NDLEA operatives raided their stores at the Gombe main market on Tuesday, September 6.
In Kogi, a suspect, Paul Ali, aged 47, was arrested along Okene-Abuja highway with 1,404 bottles of Codeine-based cough syrup weighing 190.94kg and 2,040 ampoules of pentazocine injection while coming from Onitsha to Sokoto.
A follow-up operation in Sokoto also led to the arrest of the receiver of the consignment on Tuesday, September 6.
A raid at the cannabis plantation camp in Emure forest, Owo LGA, Ondo State also led to the arrest of Monday Onoja,aged 20; Daniel Kehinde, 25; and Obinna Okechukwu, 35, where 16 bags of the illicit substance weighing 179.5kg were seized from them.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) in his reaction to the arrests and seizures, commended the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, DOGI, MAKIA, Kano, Kogi, Edo, Ondo and Gombe Commands for their resilience. He charged them and their compatriots in other commands to remain focused and vigilant in their areas of responsibility.
