After two months of being declared wanted and searched for, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), finally arrested three members of a criminal organisation which specialises in illicit drug trafficking across Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Europe and America.
This followed the recent seizure of the single largest consignment of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, Lagos.
A total of 51.90 kilogrammes of heroin had been recovered from members of the drug cartel in an operation that began 10th February 2024 at the SAHCO Import Shed of the airport’s Cargo Terminal. The consignment was concealed in 15 cartons of 2300-watt metal cutting machines, with no less than 45 blocks of the illicit substance weighing 49.70kg recovered from the equipment, while additional 2.2kg was seized at the syndicate’s warehouse in Ayobo area of Lagos.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement that “while the agency had secured interim forfeiture court order on hotel, mansions, vehicles and funds traced to members of the syndicate after arresting four of them, a manhunt was also launched for others who went underground. The effort however paid off on Friday 19th April when two of the wanted kingpins: Onyinyechi Irene Igbokwuputa and Frankline Uzochukwu were arrested in Lagos and Awka, Anambra State respectively. Another wanted member of the syndicate, Osita Emmanuel Obinna was equally nabbed in Lagos.”
In the same vein, the attempt by a suspect, Iheakara Ifeanyichukwu Festus to export a drug consignment through the terminal 2 of the Lagos airport to Muscat, Oman via Ethiopian airline flight on Thursday 18th April was thwarted by NDLEA officers.
The NDLEA said when his luggage was searched, 20 big parcels of cannabis weighing 9.80kg were discovered concealed in his bag.
In his statement, “the suspect who lives in Muscat, Oman and returned to Nigeria on April 1, confessed he was hired to courier the drug with an agreement to get paid N1,200,000 upon successful delivery in Oman,” the NDLEA said.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 20th April intercepted a Peugeot car driven by Dahiru Mohammed at Girei on his way to Mubi with 1,250,000 pills of opioids weighing 450kg.
The operatives had earlier intercepted along Ngurore -Yola road a J5 bus marked AAA790XV loaded with motor spare parts from Onitsha, Anambra State, with consignments of Codeine Syrup and Tramadol concealed in-between the motor parts. A follow up operation led to the arrest of the recipient, Jairus Nwanchor at Jambutu motor park.
Three suspects: Beriakuma Vivian Chinrdu, 40; Okpor Isaac, 68, and Daniel Onyeachom, 42, were on Saturday, April 20, 2024, arrested at Amarata,Yenagoa, Bayelsa State in connection with the seizure of 69 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 36kg and concealed in a false compartment of a Toyota Picnic car marked MUS 711 DH they were travelling in.