Pins down N12.3billion Loud at Lagos port, busts
syndicate that plants illicit drugs in passengers’ luggage at motor parks;
arrests 3 transnational traffickers with 558,000 pills of tramadol 250mg hidden
in truck’s false belly
A 38-year-old businesswoman Iwebema Ogechi Peace has
been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
following the discovery of a large consignment of cocaine concealed in false
bottom of her luggage while heading to Beijing, China, aboard a Qatar Airways
flight through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.
Iwebema who claims she travels to China to buy items
for sale in Nigeria, was arrested on Sunday 21st June 2026 at the departure
hall of terminal 2 of the Lagos airport based on credible intelligence. A
search of her check-in luggage led to the discovery of four large parcels of
cocaine concealed in false bottom professionally created in her bag. The
parcels of the class A drug found hidden in the bag have a combined weight of
7.5 kilograms.
In another major interdiction operation, efforts by
operatives of two Special Operations Units of NDLEA tracking and monitoring a
container laden with 195 big sacks of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of
cannabis from Toronto, Canada, for over four weeks paid off on Wednesday 23rd
June 2026 when a total of 4,959 kilograms of the illicit drug consignment worth
Twelve Billion Three Hundred and Ninety Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand
Naira (N12, 397,500,000) in street value, were recovered from the container during
a joint examination of the shipment by officers of the Apapa Strategic Command
of the Agency, men of Customs Service, other security agencies and ports
stakeholders at the Apapa ports complex, Lagos.
The large illicit drug consignment which was loaded
into a 40ft container comprising a Ford and a Nissan vehicle came under NDLEA
tracking and monitoring system since 25th April 2026 when it arrived Toronto,
Canada via truck, Montreal via rail on 29th April, Tanger Med Morocco on 11th
May, loaded on another vessel on 23rd May before arriving Tincan port Lagos on
4th June and discharged there 5th June before the container eventually left
Tincan and arrived Apapa port on Monday 22nd June.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in FCT Abuja in a joint
operation with their colleagues in Anambra have unraveled a syndicate which
plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers in motor parks.
Their trick came to the fore when operatives in Abuja intercepted a consignment
of methamphetamine in a Sienna bus coming from Nnewi Anambra State at Abaji,
FCT on Saturday 20th June, 2026. During a search of the bus, a waybill package
was recovered containing whitish substances suspected to be methamphetamine
concealed inside a black nylon bag, which was also put into another sack of
clothes with the phone number of the receiver written on it. A follow up
operation conducted same day led to the arrest of the supposed receiver of the
waybill Mrs. Gloria Peter at Utako motor park. She however vehemently denied
knowledge and ownership of the package in her luggage. This led to a swift
arrest of the loaders of the Sienna bus in Nnewi where one of them revealed
that the drug package was put into the woman's bag by him on the directive of
the driver of the bus Abdurrazak Isah. His revelations made the driver to open
up and mentioned one of his passengers Onyebuchi Victor Okoye as the actual
owner of the drug. Onyebuchi was then picked up at Utako, FCT during another
follow up operation. The illicit consignment weighed 467.7grams.
Operatives of a Special Operations Unit of NDLEA on
Saturday 27th June acting on credible intelligence, arrested 57-year-old
Ikechukwu Uwakwe at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos with 209.50kg Scottish Loud, a
strong strain of cannabis. The illicit consignment was being taken to Enugu
when it was intercepted.
Two nationals of Benin Republic: Hossou Tito Julien,
30; and Mancellim Dossou, 19 as well as a Nigerian Jackson ThankGod have been
arrested by NDLEA operatives following credible intelligence. They were nabbed
on the Mile 2 bridge when their truck conveying illicit drug consignment from
Togo through Benin Republic was intercepted on Sunday 21st June.
A thorough search of the truck led to the recovery of
Five Hundred and Fifty-Eight Thousand Nine Hundred (558,900) pills of Tramadol
250mg, concealed in a fabricated compartment of the vehicle. Two suspects:
Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo were also arrested along Lagos–Ibadan expressway
on Friday 26th June while transporting 118kg skunk among other legitimate goods
in a truck, which left Ebute Ero area of Lagos Island, heading to Onitsha,
Anambra State.
In another operation in Lagos, Helen Ese Idiji, 40,
and Rashidat Sa'adullah, 53, were arrested same Friday 26th June at 15 Olumokun
Street, Amukoko, with 28.8 kilograms of skunk recovered from them.
Investigation revealed that the principal suspect, Helen stores her illicit
consignments with the second suspect, Rashidat, from where she distributes to
her customers.
With the same zeal, Commands and formations of the
Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA)
sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and
communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment
lecture for students and staff of Government Girls Science Secondary School,
Damaturu, Yobe; Adesalu Primary School, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos; Government Girls
Secondary School, Badawa, Kano; School of Science and Islamic Studies, Ankpa,
Kogi; and Community Secondary School, Ezimo, Udenu LGA, Enugu state, among
others.
While commending the officers and men of the MMIA,
SOUs, Apapa, FCT, Anambra, and Lagos Commands of the Agency for the arrests and
seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba
Marwa (Rtd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA
sensitization activities while he charged them and their compatriots across the
country not to rest on their oars.
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