THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have arrested a convicted cocaine trafficker posing as a herbal tea merchant intercepting a 20,000 litre fuel tanker concealing illicit drugs.

The suspect, 34 year old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu, was arrested in a sting operation at the Trade Fair Market area of Lagos on Friday, following the earlier interception of 1.2kg of cocaine hidden in phone chargers bound for Saudi Arabia.
NDLEA in a statement by the Director Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, investigations revealed Dunu was a repeat offender who under the name Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch, was arrested in 2011 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos for ingesting 900 grammes of cocaine and 130 grammes of heroin en route to Austria.

He was prosecuted, served a five-year jail term, and subsequently changed his name before returning to the illicit trade.
Meanwhile at the Lagos airport, operatives seized 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg worth over N1.1 billion concealed in thrift trousers from Pakistan.

They also uncovered 57.80kg of ‘Loud’, a synthetic cannabis strain valued at N173 million, hidden in disposable hand gloves shipped from Singapore.

In Ondo State, a 20,000 litre fuel tanker notorious for evading arrest was intercepted along the Akoko-Lokoja expressway.
The statement noted that although the driver escaped into the bush, a search revealed a false compartment containing 2,145kg of cannabis alongside its legitimate fuel cargo.

Barely a month after three suspects were arrested at Tincan Port over 842.54kg of cannabis-laced cookies, operatives intercepted another 598.08kg of similarly infused cookies and gummies, linking them to the same syndicate.
Similarly, in Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives recovered 864,000 opioid pills from a Yola residence, while a major methamphetamine supplier was arrested with 2kg of the dangerous substance.
Other significant seizures included 2,386.9kg of cannabis in Lagos; 636kg of cannabis concealed in chicken manure in Kogi and over 109kg of mixed opioids in Taraba State.

Also in Ekiti State, operatives destroyed a four hectare cannabis farm, recovering 117kg of harvested skunk.
Commending the officers for their intelligence driven operations, the Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd), charged them to maintain the momentum.

Marwa said “Traffickers who believe they can reinvent themselves under new identities or legitimate business fronts will continue to be tracked down,” Marwa stated, reiterating the agency’s commitment to the War Against Drug Abuse campaign.