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NDLEA foils attempt to smuggle drugs to Qatar disguised as salad, dried vegetables
A bold attempt to smuggle 10.70kg of cannabis sativa to Doha, Qatar has been thwarted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The suspect, Chidinma Agbazue, 35, was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Thursday.
According to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s director of media and advocacy, the illicit drugs were ingeniously hidden in 20 parcels disguised as dried vegetables and Abacha (African salad).
The suspect was intercepted by vigilant NDLEA officers and Department of State Security (DSS) operatives during the passenger screening process at the airport. Chidinma, who was an outbound passenger on Qatar Airways, was stopped in her tracks before she could board her flight to Doha.
The successful interception of this illicit drug shipment was made possible through the collaborative efforts of NDLEA and DSS operatives. Their relentless dedication to combating drug trafficking has once again prevented dangerous substances from reaching their intended destination.
READ ALSO: NDLEA arrest female lawyer, boyfriend, mother, herbalist in illicit drug raid
This was contained in a statement issued by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA, Abuja, on Sunday.
According to the statement, a preliminary investigation revealed that Chidinma was based in Qatar but returned to Nigeria last December for a Christmas celebration.
‘’She said preparatory to her return to Doha, she was lodged at Club Dice Hotel in Ikotun area of Lagos where the consignment was handed over to her for trafficking to the Arab country,’’ the statement said.
‘’Two suspects: Monday Okeke and Chigozie Emeka were on Tuesday 26th March arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oniwaya, Yaba and Agege area of Lagos, where they recovered from them 842,560 pills of opioids especially tramadol in addition to 15 litres of codeine syrup and 596 grams of Molly. Attempt by Okeke to bribe the NDLEA officers with N5 million cash was rebuffed while the money was documented as part of exhibits to prosecute the suspects in court.’’
‘’Also in Bayelsa, the bid by three suspects: Ebuka Eze, 31; Ugochukwu Okoro, 44; and Kingsley Uzim, 27, to smuggle opioids including codeine, molly, tramadol and diazepam weighing a total of 73.425 kilograms to the creeks in Southern Ijaw area of the state was thwarted on Wednesday 27th March by NDLEA operatives at Swali jetty, Yenagoa where Ebuka and Ugochukwu were arrested while Uzim was nabbed at Amasoma in a follow-up operation.’’
The drugs were concealed in jumbo sacks and conveyed to the jetty in a tricycle.
Two suspects: Eniola Muyideen and Bankole Shuaib were arrested with 137 blocks of cannabis weighing 71kg during a raid at Orile Imo, Ogun state on Friday 29th March,
NDLEA operatives in Taraba recovered 39,980 pills of tramadol from a suspect, Abubakar Mohammed, 33, in Lankaviri village, and another suspect, Apaji Vincent, 29, arrested in Wukari on Thursday 28th March with 131kg cannabis sativa.
In Abia state, Nwachukwuu Chinedu, 28, was arrested on Friday, 29th March, at Akara Ahuba, Isikwuato LGA by NDLEA officers Recovered from him include 46.65kg cannabis and different quantities of tramadol, methamphetamine and Rohypnol as well as N71,500 monetary exhibit
At least, 127.5kg cannabis loaded in a Volkswagen Vento saloon car marked NTT 215 AA was recovered along Isua/Kabba road, Idoani area of Ose LGA, Ondo State, while a 30-year-old female suspect, Chinasa Christopher was arrested with 400 bottles of codeine syrup in Sabon Gari area of Kano. The owner of a consignment of illicit drugs intercepted along Zaria-Kano road, Bakura Goni, was arrested at Mile 2 market in Lagos on Tuesday 26th March in a follow-up operation and flown to Kano to face charges.
The consignment consisting of cannabis and tramadol weighing 73.8kg was earlier seized in a truck conveying it from Lagos to Kano.
While 278kg of cannabis going to Idoani in Ondo state was recovered during a raid at Oloma-Okpe forest, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State, not less than 3,065.255kg of the same psychoactive substance was razed on two farms at Amahor waterside forest in Igueben area of the state where three suspects: James Thankgod; Wisdom James and Akpa Festus were arrested on Thursday 28th March.
In the same vein, Commands across the country intensified their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy lectures in the past week. These include Sensitisation lectures for students of Federal University of Technology, Ihiagwa, Owerri, Imo; students and teachers of Community Secondary School, Eyo-Abasi, Oron, Akwa Ibom; students and teachers of Oke Iragbiji Grammar School, Osun; commercial motorcycle riders in Oye Ekiti, Ekiti state; commercial motorcycle riders at Ankpa, Kogi state and Muslim faithful at Aliade Central Mosque, Aliade, Benue state.
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