• Seizes 300,000 tramadol pills from Pakistan, invades skuchies factory in Ibadan

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a large consignment of Canadian Loud, an imported strong synthetic strain of cannabis, packaged in 324 bags with a gross weight of 111.2 kilograms in the Onikan area of Lagos Island.

The late night interception, on Friday, January 12, followed credible intelligence on the heels of the arrest of another drug trafficking suspect, Godwin ThankGod, Thursday, January 11, by NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The Milan, Italy-bound Godwin was intercepted while attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight with quantities of codeine-based syrup and rohypnol concealed in his luggage.

Confirming the development yesterday, spokesperson for the agency, Femi Babafemi, said the suspect, who is a regular traveller, was arrested during a search of his luggage at the Departure Gate of Terminal 2 of the airport.

According to him, the search led to the discovery of five cartons consisting of 50 bottles of codeine syrup and 300 tablets of rohypnol.

Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) import shed on Friday, January 12, recovered 30,000 packs of tramadol 225mg consisting of 300,000 pills.

The consignment, which came from Karachi, Pakistan, on a KLM Royal Dutch Airline, with airway bill number 074-62674964, was taken into custody following a joint examination with other security agencies at the airport.

Meanwhile, various quantities of tramadol and cannabis sativa concealed in soles of sports canvas shoes headed for Oman as well as another consignment of tramadol and rohypnol hidden in spices bound for the United Kingdom were intercepted at two courier firms in Lagos by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) on Tuesday, January 9.

Also, anti-drug operatives in Oyo State on Thursday, January 11, raided a clandestine skuchies factory operated by Oyadeji Dimeji, 28, in the Moniya area of Ibadan where 76.6kg of cannabis sativa, 134 grams of tramadol, 93 grammes of rohypnol and 50 litres of already produced skuchies, a liquid mixture containing various types of psychoactive substances, were recovered.

In Ondo State, four suspects: David Iyoragie, 34; Adams Idowu, 28; Ibrahim Audu Abdullahi, 54; and Ayomide Henry Ayuba, 20, were arrested at De-Rock View Hotel, Gadson Junction, off Ado-Ekiti Road, Igoba, Akure North Local Council, on Friday, January 12, with 524.5kg of cannabis.

Another suspect, Aniekeme Eyibio, 26, was also nabbed at Ala forest, Akure North Local Council, where 293.5kg of the same psychoactive substance and a Dane gun were recovered from him.

While 67-year-old Franklin Eze was arrested at Otuo, Owan East Local Council in Edo State on Thursday, January 11, with 454 blocks of cannabis weighing 311kg loaded in his Lexus salon car, marked EBM 812 AA, Abdullahi Shuaibu, 43, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, January 9, at Ayangba, Dekina Local Council of Kogi State, with 43 blocks of compressed cannabis, weighing 22kg, and three pinches of methamphetamine.

In Katsina State, a suspect, Danladi Adamu, 24, was nabbed on Wednesday January 10, with 25.5kg of cannabis sativa during a buy and bust operation at Kurmi Primary School, in Malumfashi metropolis, while operatives in Gombe arrested Sulaiman Mohammed at Lapandimtai, Kaltungo, with 47 blocks of the same substance weighing 30kg concealed in two sacks of groundnut.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) commended officers and men of the MMIA, Ondo, Edo, Oyo, Lagos, Kogi, Katsina and Gombe Commands as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures of the past week.

He urged them and their compatriots across all formations of the agency to maintain the tempo of the offensive and strive to surpass previous records.