• Recovers skuchies, ‘suck and die’, opioids, weapons in raids
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two suspects: Adakole Sunday and Austin Balogun. They are linked to an attempt to export a consignment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, to the United Kingdom.
According to Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for the agency, the consignment, concealed in a duvet and packaged for export, was intercepted on Tuesday, January 21, by NDLEA operatives at the cargo shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The suspects were arrested following the discovery by NDLEA officers of six parcels of the psychoactive substance with a gross weight of 3.50 kilogrammes concealed inside the duvet.
In his statement, Austin Balogun, the main agent who hired Adakole, claimed he was paid N700,000 to ship the consignment to the UK. He stated that he spent a fraction of the money on export handling charges and the bulk to pay for an apartment.
In another development, two suspects, Joseph Oluwasegun Adewale and Biodun Adelakun, were arrested at Igbo Olumo, Ikorodu area of Lagos when NDLEA operatives raided their hideout in the community.
Seven litres of skuchies, a new psychoactive substance produced with black currant, cannabis, and opioids, were recovered. Other exhibits seized from the duo include: three locally made double-barrel rifles; one locally made double-barrel pistol; one English-made pistol; one locally made single-barrel rifle; three cartridges; one empty 9mm cartridge; and an iron-headed axe.
Another raid in Lagos on Sunday, January 19, led to the seizure of 47kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis, and 25.46kg of Nitrous Oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, at the notorious Akala area of Mushin.
In Ekiti, a 26-year-old suspect, Adepoju Taiwo, was arrested by NDLEA officers on Thursday, January 23, with 1.950kg of Canadian Loud at Iworoko road, Ilokun, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Meanwhile, Auwal Sani was apprehended by operatives on Monday, January 20, at Bode Saadu in Moro local government area of Kwara State. A total of 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, weighing 36.56kg, were recovered from him.
Also, a Nigerien, Abubakar Lami, 45, along with two others, Abba Sani, 35, and Auwal Aliyu, 32, were arrested by NDLEA operatives at Gadar Tamburawa, Kano. 13.1kg of skunk and 125 litres of ‘suck and die,’ a new psychoactive substance, were recovered from them.
In Gefen Kasa, Dawakin Kudu council area of Kano State, a cannabis plantation was located and destroyed by a team of NDLEA officers. They arrested a suspect, Sabo Ali Muhammad, 45, linked to the farm.
