Crime/SecurityNGR News

Massive Drug Busts: NDLEA Unveil Cocaine Mules, Cross-Border Trafficking Syndicates

1 year ago
1 year ago

In a series of high-profile drug busts, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have made significant arrests, exposing a network of narcotics trafficking stretching across Nigeria and beyond.

A 36-year-old businessman from Onitsha, Anambra State, Ibeanusi Solomon Nosike, was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 68 wraps of cocaine out of the country. Nosike, who swallowed the illicit substance before heading to the airport, was placed under excretion observation for 12 days, during which he egested 1.282 kilograms of cocaine.
The arrest occurred in the early hours of Thursday, August 8, 2024, when Nosike was attempting to board a domestic flight from Lagos to Abuja. From there, he planned to catch a Qatar Airways flight to Vietnam. The NDLEA had placed him under surveillance after receiving intelligence about his activities. Following his arrest, Nosike spent nearly two weeks under strict observation, excreting the drug pellets.

NDLEA
Lady selling cannabis-laced cookies in Edo State
This incident is just one of several major drug-related arrests carried out by the NDLEA in August. On August 12, another businessman, 54-year-old Paul Okwuy Mbadugha, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja during the outward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight to Vietnam. After four days of excretion observation, Mbadugha expelled 88 wraps of cocaine, weighing a total of 1.710 kilograms.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted a shipment of cannabis destined for Dubai, UAE. The consignment, containing 1.20 kilograms of cannabis, was concealed in a package sent through a courier company in Onitsha. The sender, Aligbo Chukwudi Jacob, was eventually arrested in Onitsha on Saturday, August 17, following a series of follow-up operations.
The agency also apprehended a group of five female drug traffickers at the Seme border on August 21. The women, led by 42-year-old Olaribigbe Bashirat Feyisara, were caught smuggling 14 packs of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 6.97 kilograms. The syndicate had been under NDLEA surveillance before their arrest as they returned to Lagos from Ghana.NDLEA
In a separate operation on August 23, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos intercepted two containers from India. These containers held 1,596 cartons of codeine-based syrup, containing 319,200 bottles of the opioid, with a street value of over N2.2 billion.
Additional arrests across the country have further underscored the NDLEA’s commitment to combating drug trafficking. In Edo State, two women, Martha Owotorofa, 26, and Odion Uzordinma, 21, were arrested for online sales of illicit drugs, including cannabis-laced cookies and cakes. Another suspect, Saturday Edobor, was arrested with 288.8 kilograms of cannabis in Oghada village.
Meanwhile, in Lagos, a suspect identified as Godwill Davidson was arrested with over 3,800 bottles of codeine syrup and thousands of illicit pills. Similarly, Yahaya Ibrahim, 23, was nabbed along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway in Kogi State with 42,000 pills of tramadol.NDLEA
The NDLEA’s efforts have extended beyond arrests, with continued sensitization activities under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative. The agency has been actively engaging with schools, workplaces, and communities across the country, raising awareness about the dangers of drug abuse.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the operatives involved in these operations for their diligence and urged them to maintain their balanced approach in the fight against drug trafficking. “The success of these operations is a testament to the commitment of our officers and the effectiveness of our intelligence and enforcement strategies,” Marwa stated.
The NDLEA’s recent successes in intercepting narcotics and arresting traffickers underline the agency’s unrelenting determination to curb drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria.
By Fikunmi Sokoya
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