NDLEA Seizes Cocaine In Teabags, Arrests 4 Traffickers
EMERGENCY DIGEST- Fresh attempts by Brazil-based drug cartels to smuggle substantial quantities of Cocaine into Nigeria through Abuja and Lagos Airports by concealing the Class – A illicit substance in teabags have again been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said, in a statement on Sunday that, at least, four traffickers involved in the attempts to import and export illicit drugs through the country, last week are now in the custody of the Agency.
One of them, Pascal Ekene Okolo was arrested during an inward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight from Sao Paulo via Doha at the arrival hall of the NAIA on Sunday 17th April.
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Okolo who claimed to be in the wine business in Brazil was arrested with a travelling bag containing different medicinal tea bags, which were used to conceal 4.1kilograms of cocaine.
The same day, a Canada-based Nigerian, Anigo Christian Godspower was intercepted at the D-Arrival Hall of the Lagos Airport, during an inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways from Sao Paolo via Doha to Lagos with two blocks of Cocaine with a total weight of 2.10kg.
The suspect claimed he operated an unregistered Bureau De Change business before delving into the illicit drug trade.
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The bid by another cartel to export 950grams of Heroin concealed in the soles of ladies’ footwears through the cargo shed of the Lagos Airport was equally foiled by anti-narcotic officers who have so far, arrested two suspects linked to the crime. Those arrested between the 16th and 17th of April in connection with the attempt to export the drug to Monrovia, Liberia include Idokoja Solomon Chukwurah and Patrick John Tochukwu.
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Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in raids in Kano, Kaduna, Benue and Akwa Ibom states have seized no less than 88,734 doses of Tramadol, Pentazocine, Diazepam and Swinol. In Kano, Aliyu Usman was arrested in the Railway area of the state capital with 47,000 capsules of Tramadol and 2,000 ampules of pentazocine injection on 19th April while Saminu Usman, 28, was nabbed with 24,710 Tramadol tablets at Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano two days earlier.
In Benue, another dealer, Emeka Eze was arrested at an NDLEA checkpoint at Adikpo, Kwande Local Government Area of the state with 10,000 Tramadol capsules and 900 tablets of swinol, while in Kaduna state, the duo of Raphael Daniel and David Musa were arrested at Mando park, Kaduna with 1kg of Cocaine on Thursday 21st April.
A week after Muhammad Sani Ibrahim sent 12.1kg of cannabis from Lagos to Kaduna, operatives were able to trace and arrest him last Thursday and brought him to Kaduna after his consignment was intercepted. Another dealer, Kamilu Ibrahim was also arrested the same day at Kargi village in Kubau LGA, Kaduna State with 10.6kg Cannabis Sativa, while Bashir Ibrahim was arrested on Friday after his four consignments containing Cannabis Sativa weighing 44.6kg were intercepted three days earlier along Abuja-Kaduna express road.
