Arrests owner of drug consignment in viral airport video

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), has intercepted large consignments of Cocaine and Colorado, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in containers of household items and vehicles imported from Durban, South Africa and Canada at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos.

According to the agency, the discovery and subsequent interception of the drugs was a result of months of intelligence gathering and coordinated operation by three special units of the NDLEA and with the aid of sniffer dogs. Also seized in the operation are arms, ammunition and other military effects.

A statement by the Director, Media & Advocacy NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, states that “Some of the items recovered from the containers include: 1, 274 parcels of Cocaine and Colorado with a total weight of 884.09 kilograms; four pistols; 197 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 49 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 275 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, 14 rounds of 9mm ammunition and sundry military personnel effects as well as some chemicals in kegs.

“With the exception of 32.5kg shipment of Colorado that came in used vehicles from Canada, the rest of the items were found in two of three containers that arrived the Tincan port from Durban, South Africa onboard a vessel marked MSC RESILIENT III and discharged on new year eve, 31st December 2023. A suspect linked to one of the containers, UACU 5348336, bearing the 32.5kg Colorado, 41-year-old Akara Chibugo has already been tracked and arrested by NDLEA operatives.

“A suspect linked to one of the containers, UACU 5348336, bearing the 32.5kg Colorado, 41-year-old Akara Chibugo has already been tracked and arrested by NDLEA operatives.”

Meanwhile, two vigilant freight agents and a traveler escaped being roped into two drug trafficking operations by desperate traffickers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos.

The two agents were contacted to send a consignment of 1kg cannabis concealed in tins of Milo beverage to Turkey but chose to submit the shipment to NDLEA checks before processing the cargo leading to the discovery of psychoactive substance hidden inside the shipment.

Also, NDLEA operatives at the weekend arrested one Okosun Paul Punitt, the consignee of a consignment of tramadol concealed in a bottle of dietary supplements, which a staff of Pathfinder International Ltd, Ajuzieogu Mac-Elvis Ugochukwu attempted sending through an intending passenger on Ibom Air to Accra, Ghana at the Lagos airport.

A video of the face-off between the passenger and Ajuzieogu later went viral after the vigilant passenger suspected the consignment contained illicit substances. Both Ajuzieogu and the exhibit were later transferred to NDLEA office by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN), for investigation.

Preliminary findings by NDLEA showed the parcel contained 50 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in a bottle of dietary supplements. A follow up operation by the Agency led to the arrest of Okosun upon his return from Ghana on Friday. He has in his statement confirmed ownership of the drug.

In Kano, no fewer than five million six hundred and fifty three thousand, (5, 653,000), pills of tramadol 250mg and exol-5 were seized from three suspects; Nura Abdullahi, 38, and Tahir Muhammad Mukhtar, 42, arrested at Bacharawa area of Kano with 5, 404,000 pills of tramadol 250mg, and Yusuf Umar, 50, nabbed at Gadar Tamburawa area of the state with 249,000 tablets of exol-5.

The agency also said that two suspects, Ali Abubakar and Murtala Sani were arrested at Ojodu Berger area of Lagos with 110kg of cannabis sativa while 69kg of same substance was recovered from the hideout of a fleeing suspect in Akerele, Surulere.

Also, not less than 2, 800 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup were recovered by NDLEA officers on Saturday 20th January during a raid at Aleita, Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja. The suspected owner of the consignment, Jideofor Sochima is still at large.

A total of 100, 510 pills of opioids were seized from a suspect, Ike Emmanuel, 35, on Thursday 18th January at Dan-Anacha village, Taraba state. In Abia state, NDLEA operatives arrested 60 year-old Joseph Isiguzoro, as well as Emmanuel Eugene and Malachi Ndu with 34,200 pills of opioids.

Isiguzoro was equally found with monetary exhibit totaling two million eight hundred and eighty five thousand and forty five naira, (N2,885,045), only.

Commending men and officers of the agency, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, (CEO), NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba-,Marwa (Retd), urged them to remain focused and resolute in all formations in pursuit of the corporate goal of winning the war against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria. He further charged them to maintain the flame of collaboration with other law enforcement agencies and stakeholders in their areas of responsibility.