NDLEA Busts UK-Bound Opioids, Cocaine Smuggling Ring at Lagos Airport

…seizes 2.4 million tramadol pills in Gombe, made multiple arrests

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a businesswoman and an auto parts dealer in connection with attempts to smuggle opioids and cocaine to London and Congo Brazzaville. 

In a statement signed and issued by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy at NDLEA on Sunday, 15th September, 2024, the age revealed that Mrs Adewunmi Adebola Dorcas, a businesswoman based in Ibadan, Oyo State, and Arinze Ora, an auto parts dealer from Lagos, were apprehended for attempting to export narcotics concealed in foodstuffs and auto spare parts.

According to the NDLEA, the first arrest took place on Friday, 6th September 2024, when officers at the export shed of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos intercepted a cargo bound for the United Kingdom. 

A thorough search of the consignment revealed a staggering 924 bottles of codeine-based syrup, weighing 135.7kg, and 5,250 tablets of rohypnol concealed within cartons of foodstuffs. 

The freight agent, Owojori Olanrewaju Sunday, who presented the cargo for export, was promptly taken into custody.

Upon further investigation, another suspect, Adewunmi Akeem Temitope, was apprehended. Temitope admitted that the consignment was sent by his mother, 58-year-old Mrs Adewunmi Adebola Dorcas, from Ibadan, to be delivered to the agent. 

A follow-up operation on Saturday, 7th September, resulted in Mrs Adewunmi’s arrest at her business premises in Ibadan, where she was found to be involved in foodstuffs and cargo export. 

The freight agent, Owojori, confessed to working for Mrs Adewunmi, revealing that he had been paid N2.41 million for the job and N2.1 million for a similar consignment previously exported to the UK.

In a parallel operation, NDLEA officers at the same airport on Wednesday, 11th September, intercepted a shipment of auto spare parts and custard powder headed to Congo Brazzaville via Ethiopian Airlines. 

A detailed search revealed 300 grams of cocaine concealed within containers of checkers powder custard, packed alongside the auto parts. 

The sender, Arinze Ora, who operates an auto parts business at the Aspanda Trade Fair complex in Lagos, was arrested following the discovery.

The NDLEA also intensified efforts in tracking drug trafficking syndicates operating on an international scale. 

Two brothers, Ikechukwu Ikeabba and Ugochukwu Ikeabba, were apprehended on Tuesday, 10th September, for their involvement in sponsoring drug couriers to Vietnam. 

Their arrest followed an investigation into the activities of Onitsha-based businessman, Ibeanusi Solomon Nosike, who was earlier arrested after excreting 68 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.282 kilograms over 12 days under observation. 

Ibeanusi had been apprehended at the Lagos airport on Thursday, 8th August, while attempting to board a flight to Abuja, where he planned to connect to Vietnam via Qatar Airways.

Another Vietnam-bound businessman, Paul Okwuy Mbadugha, was similarly arrested at the Abuja airport on Monday, 12th August. 

He was found to have ingested 88 wraps of cocaine, with a total weight of 1.710 kilograms. Mbadugha excreted the illicit drugs after four days under observation by NDLEA operatives.

During the arrests of the Ikeabba brothers, they were found in possession of 87 cocaine dummies, which they allegedly used to train drug couriers on how to smuggle narcotics.

The NDLEA’s ongoing operations also yielded significant results in Gombe State, where operatives arrested three suspects – Auwal Abdullahi, Isah Rabiu, and Abubakar Da’u – on Saturday, 14th September. 

The suspects were intercepted while travelling along the Bauchi-Gombe road in a DAF truck marked GME 552 ZU. 

A search of the vehicle uncovered 2,490,000 tramadol pills concealed in bags of salt.

Elsewhere, in Kaduna, a suspect, Idris Adamu, was arrested with 41.5 kilograms of cannabis sativa in Kachia town on Tuesday, 10th September, while two other suspects, Godiya Sekyen Jikuk and Yusuf Umaru, were apprehended in Ekiti State with 73.6kg of cannabis on Wednesday, 11th September.

Further seizures were made in Bauchi State, where NDLEA operatives confiscated 208,920 pills of tramadol and diazepam from Chinedu Asadu on Thursday, 13th September. Additionally, 104kg of cannabis was seized from two suspects along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Tuesday, 10th September.

At the Tincan Port in Lagos, a joint operation between NDLEA, the Nigerian Customs Service, and other security agencies led to the discovery of 350,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup in two containers shipped from India. 

The containers were part of a targeted 100 percent examination by NDLEA operatives.

The NDLEA’s nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continues, with awareness programmes conducted in schools, mosques, workplaces, and communities, reaching diverse audiences across the country.

Commending the officers and men involved in the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their commitment to reducing drug supply and curbing the growing demand for illicit substances. 

He urged continued vigilance and dedication to the agency’s mission.