BY MOYINOLUWA BAMIDELE-LUCAS
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, announced on Sunday that it has seized 12,385 kilograms of “Loud’’ Indian hemp smuggled into Lagos from a neighbouring country through the waterways.
Its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who said this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, described the drug as a strong variant of Indian hemp.
Babafemi said that 12,385 pellets of the “Loud’’ Indian hemp were brought in through the Atlantic Ocean and ferried in boats to the Eko Atlantic Beach, Victoria Island.
He said the drugs would have been distributed from the beach to drug hotspots such as Lagos Island, Peti Alagba and others across Lagos and other states.
Babafemi explained that more than 50 narcotic officers stormed the beach on Saturday, November 27 and recovered the consignments along with two trucks and arrested three suspects.
He named those arrested as Abdulkadri Zakari, 24, Ka’abu Sausu, 45 and Lawrence Adie, 27.
In another development, a 70-year-old woman, Beatrice Aigbedion was among suspects arrested at Irrua, Edo in connection with the seizure of more than 5,000 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs.
“After days of surveillance, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, November 24 stormed a warehouse at Uhiere, Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo, where they recovered 4,261.5kg of Indian hemp and arrested a suspect, Ikong Stanley.
“On Tuesday, November 23, 1,240kg of Indian hemp was also seized at a warehouse in Uzebba, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo.
“At the point of her arrest last Wednesday, Aigbedion was caught with different quantities of Codeine cough syrup, Swinol and Rohypnol
“Another dealer, Joseph Onyemaechi, 50, was also nabbed at Ikpoba Okha, Upper Sakpoba, Benin City, on Friday with different types of psychotropic substances weighing 2.055kg,’’ Babafemi stated.
Similarly, Gabriel Akioya and Isa Salihu were arrested on Thursday, November 25 at Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo with various quantities of Codeine, Tramadol, Swinol and Rohypnol.
Babafemi stated that operatives raided Hampton Towers and Spa Hotel, Okpanam Road, Asaba, where Dobedient Etumudor and Thompson Chukwuemeka were arrested with different quantities of psychoactive substances.
He added that another drug dealer, Emeka Ben, was nabbed with 4.7 grams of Methamphetamine on Asaba-Ibusa Road in Delta.
“Other suspects arrested on Thursday, November 25 in the state for dealing in Meth, Indian hemp, cocaine, and heroin were Ifeanyi Odibe, Uche Onwurah, and Justice Obika.
“In Kano, a drug dealer, Bukar Malan Abdu, was arrested and 143 kilograms of Indian hemp recovered from him while 466kg of the same drug was seized in the home of one Bashir Shuaibu, an indigene of Edo resident in Kano.
“On Thursday, November 25, a drug dealer in Maiduguri, Chima Obi, was arrested in a follow-up operation.
“The follow-up operation took place after the seizure of his drug consignment of 73.2kg of codeine at an NDLEA checkpoint in Postiskum, Yobe, on the same day,’’ Babafemi stated.
