The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has captured a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye-Agbazue, for trying to send 20 parcels of Cannabis Sativa weighing 10.70kg to Doha, Qatar through Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State. Cannabis Sativa weighing 10.70kg to Doha, Qatar through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State.
The illegal drugs were hidden in African salad known as Abacha and dried vegetables.
The operation was conducted with the help of operatives of the Department of State Services.
The anti-narcotics officers also refused a N5m bribe from another suspect in Lagos State.
The spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, shared the information in a statement on Sunday, detailing arrests and recoveries made by the agency over the past week.
Femi Babafemi said, "Officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have captured a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye-Agbazue after she was caught trying to send 20 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 10.70kg concealed in African salad known as Abacha and dried vegetables to Doha, Qatar through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos state.
“NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport working with men of the Department of State Services had on Thursday, March 28 intercepted Chidinma, an outbound passenger from Lagos to Doha, on Qatar Airways during clearance of passengers at the screening point of Terminal 11 of the MMIA.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that Chidinma was based in Qatar but came back to Nigeria last December for Christmas celebration. She said preparatory to her return to Doha, she was lodged at Club Dice Hotel in Ikotun area of Lagos where the consignment was handed over to her for trafficking to the Arab country,”
Babafemi further noted that two suspects, Monday Okeke and Chigozie Emeka, were on Tuesday, March 26, arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oniwaya, Yaba and Agege area of Lagos, where they recovered from them 842,560 pills of opioids especially tramadol in addition to 15 litres of codeine syrup and 596 grams of Molly.
He said, “Two suspects; Monday Okeke and Chigozie Emeka were on Tuesday, March 26, arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oniwaya, Yaba and Agege area of Lagos, where they recovered from them 842,560 pills of opioids especially tramadol in addition to 15 litres of codeine syrup and 596 grams of Molly.
“Attempt by Okeke to bribe the NDLEA officers with N5m cash was rebuffed while the money was documented as part of exhibits to prosecute the suspects in court.”
In Bayelsa, the attempt by three suspects: Ebuka Eze, 31; Ugochukwu Okoro, 44; and Kingsley Uzim, 27, to smuggle opioids including codeine, molly, tramadol and diazepam weighing a total of 73.425kg to the creeks in Southern Ijaw area of the state was foiled on Wednesday by NDLEA operatives at Swali jetty, Yenagoa where Eze and Okoro were arrested while Uzim was nabbed at Amasoma in a follow-up operation. The drugs were hidden in jumbo sacks and taken to the jetty in a tricycle.
Meanwhile, two suspects named Eniola Muyideen and Bankole Shuaib were captured with 137 blocks of cannabis weighing 71kg during a raid at Orile Imo, Ogun State on Friday.
NDLEA officers in Taraba found 39,980 pills of tramadol with a suspect, 33-year-old Abubakar Mohammed, in Lankaviri village, and arrested another suspect, 29-year-old Apaji Vincent, in Wukari on Thursday with 131kg of cannabis sativa.
In Abia State, a 28-year-old named Nwachukwuu Chinedu was detained on Friday at Akara Ahuba, Isikwuato LGA by NDLEA officers.
Recovered from him were 46.65kg of cannabis and various quantities of tramadol, methamphetamine, and rohypnol as well as N71,500 in cash.
At least 127.5kg of cannabis loaded in a Volkswagen Vento saloon car marked NTT 215 AA was discovered along Isua/Kabba Road, Idoani area of Ose Local Government Area, Ondo State, while a 30-year-old female suspect, Chinasa Christopher, was apprehended with 400 bottles of codeine syrup in Sabon Gari area of Kano.
Babafemi said, “The owner of a shipment of illegal drugs intercepted along Zaria-Kano Road, Bakura Goni, was arrested at Mile 2 market in Lagos on Tuesday in a follow-up operation and flown to Kano to face charges. The shipment, consisting of cannabis and tramadol weighing 73.8kg, was previously seized in a truck transporting it from Lagos to Kano.”
Meanwhile, 278kg of cannabis destined for Idoani in Ondo State was found during a raid at Oloma-Okpe forest, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State, while not less than 3,065.255kg of the same psychoactive substance was destroyed on two farms at Amahor waterside forest in Igueben area of the state where three suspects named James Thankgod, Wisdom James, and Akpa Festus were detained on Thursday.
