- Smashes two cocaine syndicates, nabs Chinese, Nigerian kingpins, five associates in Lagos
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 50-year-old businessman, Osuoha Christian Iheanacho, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, AIIA, Enugu, for ingesting 90 wraps of cocaine.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Osuoha was intercepted on Wednesday November 20, 2024 at the arrival hall of the Enugu airport during the inbound screening of passengers arriving from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian airlines flight following months of intelligence and surveillance on him.
Babafemi said he was subsequently placed on excretion observation during which he egested 90 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.019 kilograms in seven excretions.
He said investigation revealed that the suspect who operates phone and accessories business in Lagos and Gabon, Central Africa, travelled by road from Gabon to Douala, Cameroon from where he took a flight to Addis Ababa where he swallowed the pellets of cocaine while in transit and thereafter continued his journey to Enugu with Lagos as his final destination.
He said the man deliberately complicated his movement to distort traces of his travel history unknown to him that he has been on NDLEA watch list for the past three months.
In his statement, Babafemi explained that Osuoha said he desperately needed the money from the criminal drug trade to boost his declining phone and accessories business.
In another well-coordinated operation carried out by a Special Operations Unit of the Agency on Thursday, November 21, head of a cocaine distribution cartel, 42-year-old Ndive Maxwell Obinna was arrested along with five of his associates at Ago Palace Way in Okota, Isolo, Lagos.
Babafemi disclosed that a total of 2.412 kilograms of cocaine were recovered from them.
Other members of the drug trafficking organization arrested along Obinna include: Okeke Gloria Ifeoma who is the syndicate’s stash keeper; Ikechebelu Emmanuel Chibuzor; Okorie Onyedikachi; Okonkwo Nnabugo Prince; and Okafor Blessing Anita.
In a related development, another drug syndicate operated by a Chinese man, 58-year-old Tianzhen Yen (alias Jackie) has been dismantled by NDLEA operatives following his arrest at his hotel in Ikeja area of Lagos.
Officers of the Seme Special Area Command of the Agency had on Thursday, November 21, intercepted a 40-year-old suspect, Yakubu Emmanuel Mark in a commercial bus going to Ghana at the Gbaji checkpoint along Badagry-Seme expressway based on credible intelligence.
When he was searched, Babafemi said a total of 750grams of cocaine were found in his bag.
A swift follow up operation was organized to trace and arrest the kingpin behind the trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, who turned out to be a Chinese citizen, Tianzhen Yen.
He was eventually traced to MC Hotel behind Alade market, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Babafemi, when his hotel room was searched, 4.3grams of cocaine; a gram of methamphetamine; two electronic weighing scales; and Chinese National Identification Number Card, among other exhibits were recovered while he was arrested in the vicinity of the hotel.
At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday, November 22, intercepted 92 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis with a combined weight of 23.25kg concealed in two vehicles imported from Canada: a Nissan car and a GMC bus.
Babafemi noted that the discovery was made during a joint examination of a container from Canada by NDLEA officers, men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders.
In Rivers state, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, on Thursday, November 21, intercepted two containers of imported opioids during a joint examination with men of Customs Service and other security agencies.
A total of 168,000 bottles of codeine based syrup worth N1.176 million in street value, were recovered from one of the containers while the second one contains 4,500,000 pills of super royal tramadol 225mg valued at N3.150 billion, bringing the combined value of both the codeine and tramadol consignments to N4.326 billion.
In Ekiti state, NDLEA operatives on Sunday, November 17 arrested a 50-year-old physically challenged woman, Mustapha Boja, with 286 grams of Colorado and Loud strains of cannabis at Araromi Street, Ikere-Ekiti, while 64kg of cannabis sativa was recovered at Akinyele motor park, Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday, November 21.
Not less than 1,200.5 kilograms of the same psychoactive substance were seized during raids by NDLEA officers in parts of Edo State.
At Utese forest in Ovia North East LGA, 463.5kg was recovered on Thursday, November 21; while 507kg was seized at a compound in Owan village, Ovia LGA where the duo of David Ojo Ederin, 60, and Afoje Frank, 24, were arrested on Friday, November 22.
Babafemi also explained that another suspect, Godwin Okhoya, 40, was nabbed with 230kg of the same substance at Okpuje, Owan West LGA.
In Kano, he said four suspects, Usman Sani, 25; Abdul Mohd, 28; Bunu Ali,27; and Umar Musa, 30, were on Tuesday, November 19 arrested by NDLEA operatives at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria- Kano road, with 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 45kg, while Ayuba Umar Zaranda, 55, was nabbed with 124kg cannabis at Pengana village, Toro LGA, Bauchi State.