. Others going to US, UK, Canada
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted huge consignments of various quantities of heroin and other illicit drugs, including, at least, 649,300 capsules of tramadol 225mg and €809,850 cash at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MIMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The seized consignments from Pakistan, Austria, and Italy were blocked by operatives from being exported to the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
Director, Media, and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, yesterday, said, “at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company cargo warehouse at the airport, anti-narcotics officers seized 649,300 capsules of tramadol 225mg weighing 460.95kg imported from Pakistan via Addis Ababa through Ethiopian Airline, on Wednesday, February 16.
A suspect, Nwadu Ekene Christian, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
“On the same day, a female passenger, Ms. Ayeki Happy, who arrived at the airport from Italy on a Turkish Airline flight, was arrested with €69,850 cash, concealed in her luggage. This was four days after another lady, Precious Idahagbon, was arrested with €740,000 cash hidden in her luggage and undeclared upon her arrival at the airport from Vienna, Austria via Istanbul, Turkey. Both cash seizures are currently under investigation to establish if they are proceeds of the drug business.”
At the NAHCO export shed of the airport, operatives seized a consignment of 131 parcels of Cannabis concealed in packages of black soap (Dudu-Osun), during outward clearance of cargo going to the UK. Another consignment presented for export to Dubai, UAE at SAHCO shed was also recovered after 30 parcels of cannabis hidden in cartons of cornflakes were discovered in it.
No less than 6.5kg of heroin, khat, and oxycodone packaged for export to the USA and Canada were seized at a major courier company in Lagos by operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigations (DOGI). The drugs were concealed in shoes and carton walls.
In Kano, a 34-year-old, Nasiru Abdulrahman, was arrested with 476kg of cannabis at Kwanar Dan Gora, Kiru local government area of the state, on Friday, February 25, while in Adamawa, 4,000 tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from Abdulmuminu Abubakar, 24, who was arrested at Gidan Madara, Mubi North LGA, on Tuesday, February 22, while traveling on a motorcycle to deliver the drugs in Bukula, Cameroon Republic. He claimed another suspect, Fahad Mohammed, 19, gave the consignment to him. Fahad was later arrested in a follow-up operation at his home in the Kasuwan Borkono Area of Mubi town.
In Abuja, two consignments were intercepted from transport vehicles in the Abaji area of the FCT. While the first contained 12kg cannabis, the second had 356kg of the same substance. A follow-up operation in Kaduna led to the arrest of the owner of the 356kg cannabis, Ayomide Adewale, 29.
While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, DOGI, Kano, Adamawa, and FCT Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), charged them and their colleagues across the country to intensify the offensive action against all drug cartels in every part of Nigeria.
