NDLEA bursts Abuja drug cookies syndicate

Arrests undergraduate, boyfriend who sell to school children

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 300-level university student, Rhoda Agboje and her boyfriend, Ifeanyi Nwankwo, both of who specialise in producing and selling drug cookies to school children and other unsuspecting members of the public in Abuja.

According to NDLEA Director of media, Femi Babafemi, narcotics agents with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the NDLEA had also launched a manhunt for another member of the syndicate involved in producing the cookies with Arizona, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis; alcohol and rohypnol, among other ingredients.

“Their lid was blown open following the arrest of Rhoda Agboje with four pieces of the drug cookies on Sunday, April 18, 2021. She was arrested at the NNPC Cooperative Estate, opposite Gaduwa Estate in Abuja, based on a complaint that she gave an unsuspecting young girl the cookies to eat. After eating the drug cookies, the girl lost her mind and could not sleep, making incoherent utterances due to the effects of the cookies,” Babafemi said.

Under interrogation, the prime suspect, Rhoda, confessed she prepared the cookies with a friend and sold each pack of three pieces at N1,500. A follow-up operation in her boyfriend’s house led to the recovery of over 200 pieces of the drug cookies.

According to the commander, FCT Command of the NDLEA, Mohammed Malami Sokoto, “The boyfriend, Ifeanyi Nwankwo, and all the equipment used for the production of the cookies were brought to the office for further investigation.

“The suspect confirmed that she sells at parties and to unsuspecting members of the public, including school children that are the most vulnerable. The suspect also supplies some supermarkets and clubs in the FCT.”

While commending the officers and men of the FCT command for unravelling the syndicate, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, said what the syndicate was doing was not only criminal but also unconscionable by deliberately luring school children into drug under the cover of selling to them biscuits or cookies.

“I wish to draw the attention of parents to this new devious strategy to get children addicted to drug cookies and to urge them to remain vigilant while monitoring what their wards bring home from school or consume as snacks,” Marwa stated on Tuesday.