•UK, Saudi-bound cocaine concealed in synthetic hair intercepted
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) raided a relaxation centre, popularly called Garden, in Abuja and arrested six persons for selling drug cookies and noodles.
This was disclosed on Sunday, January 23, 2022, by the Agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
At the raid, which the operatives carried out at Wuse Zone 5 behind Shoprite following credible intelligence, a 29-year-old lady, Rachael Famiyesun, 29, who was dealer in drug cookies, was arrested with her salesgirl, Stella Sunday, 20.
Aside the drug cookies, they were also caught selling bottles of black currant drink popularly called Zobo prepared with cannabis.
Another business operator in the garden, Moses Obi, aged 30, was also arrested with his salesgirl, Aisha Abdulrahman, 19, for selling indomie noodles prepared with cannabis.
A barman, Ahonye Jonah, 31, who works with the owner of the garden, was equally arrested while one of their customers, 38-year-old Ngozi Justina Emelogu was also picked during the raid on Wednesday, January 19.
Two days earlier, officers of the FCT command of the Agency equally raided the Zuba Yam Market, where a drug dealer, Haruna Hassan, was arrested with 19.3kg cannabis.
In another development, narcotic officers attached to two major courier companies in Lagos State have foiled by attempts by drug traffickers to export 1.53 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden inside hair cream to London, and another 880 grammes of cocaine concealed inside synthetic hair to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In addition to the foiled attempt was the discovery of three grammes of cocaine and five grammes of cannabis to Cyprus packed inside locally-made shoes.
On Tuesday, January 18, operatives in Edo State also intercepted a Toyota Camry car with registration number FKJ 897 DG (LAGOS) loaded with 360.4kg cannabis sativa and heading towards Abuja, with the driver, Nurudeen Subaru, 42, arrested in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.
The following day, the Edo command officers also evacuated 111kg cannabis stored in a bush at Iruekpen, Esan West LGA while 276 compressed blocks of the same substance weighing 248.4kg were recovered from one Austin Okongwu (a.k.a Igwe), 45, at Agenebode, Etsako East while moving the drug in a Lexus saloon car with registration number ABC 583 MJ (ABUJA).
Same day, a raid on a drug joint in the Edo state capital, Benin, led to the arrest of three drug dealers: Kelly Ogbebor, 38; Daniel Oviawe, 35, and Kelly Kenmakonam, 29 with different quantities of cocaine and heroin seized from them.
In Plateau State, attempt by 29-year-old Ifeoma Godwin Sade, wife of a drug dealer, Ifeanyi Onyeasi, 34, to swallow 12grammes of cocaine found in their house at Agingi, Rukuba road, Jos, during an arrest operation, was scuttled by operatives who retrieved the drug from her throat on Sunday, January 16.
Also recovered from them was a monetary exhibit of N234, 650.
Different quantities of cannabis, methamphetamine and tramadol were seized from two suspects, Aliyu Abdullahi and Ishaya Emmanuel, when a commercial bus with registration number GME 711 YX bringing them from Lagos to Yola, Adamawa State was intercepted along Abuja road by officers of the Plateau state command on Wednesday 19th Jan.
In Adamawa state, the long arm of the law eventually caught a notorious drug dealer, Adamu Musa who had been on the run for nine months. His 31-year-old elder sister, Mrs. Hannatu Sini had been arrested on April 16, 2021, at Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa with 14.400kg of cannabis sativa and had admitted keeping the exhibit for her younger brother, Adamu Musa who was subsequently placed on the wanted list of the command.
This was just as an ex-convict, Mrs. Modinat Lawal, was arrested in Kano on January 19 with 22kg of cannabis sativa she brought into Nigeria from Benin Republic.
She had earlier been arrested, prosecuted and jailed for the same offence. The Ogun state-born trafficker claimed then that her name was Bola.
Commending the officers and men of the FCT, Edo, Plateau, Adamawa, Kano and Directorate of Investigation and General Investigations for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their counterparts in other commands to remain vigilant and always proactive.
