‘Engineer’ nabbed over illicit drug consignments concealed in pressure machines

NDLEA arrests grandma with opioids in Lagos, intercepts tramadol pills in Adamawa, 1,323kg cannabis in Ekiti

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected drug trafficker, Egwu Phillip Inya, who claims to be a building engineer, while attempting to take delivery of illicit consignments concealed in pressure machines imported from South Africa.

The 42-year-old Inya was arrested on Monday, December 2, 2024, at Okeyson Motor Park Enugu when he showed up to collect three units of pressure machines inside which were hidden parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 7.40 kilogrammes.

The consignments had arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, import shed on November 29, 2024.

Following credible intelligence, officers of the MMIA Strategic Command of the Agency had monitored the shipment pass through clearing processes up to a logistics company’s warehouse outside the airport where it was to be collected by the consignee.

Spokesperson for the agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement yesterday said the importer, however, changed the point of collection to Enugu at the last minute. As a result, NDLEA operatives in a follow up operation in Enugu arrested Ịnya when he showed up to collect the consignments.

Relatedly, about 511,000 pills of tramadol were recovered from a Siena vehicle at Hildi, Askira Uba way in Adamawa State by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the road in the early hours of Friday, December 6.

The occupants of the vehicle had made a detour on sighting the NDLEA team and after a distance abandoned the vehicle with the consignments after noticing the operatives were on their trail.

Also, in Ekiti State, two suspects: Olanrewaju Alale, 48, and Babatunde Kayode Ijadahun, 55, were arrested along Ise-Emure road in a J5 bus marked EPE 958 XJ while transporting 108 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1, 323 kilogrammes to Owo, Ondo State from where they claimed the consignment will be moved to the North for distribution.

Another suspect, Adekunle Yusuf, 33, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives with 704 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance, concealed in white sacks on Friday, December 6, at Idere road, Igboora, Oyo State.

In Lagos, a grandmother, 65-year-old Ramata Bola Adeyemo was on Friday, December 6, arrested by NDLEA operatives at 62 Odunfa street, Lagos Island, where 20.6 litres of codeine-based syrup were recovered from her.

Also arrested in Lagos was Alhaji Lawan Manga who was picked up at Ogundana Street, Ikeja on Thursday, December 5, while 4.7kg cannabis and 1.3kg tramadol were recovered from him.

Meanwhile, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of MMIA, Adamawa, Ekiti, Lagos, and Oyo Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures.

He stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.