LAGOS (Sundiata Post) – The attempts by drug syndicates to export illicit substances, including various quantities of methamphetamine and opioids, concealed in hems of new jeans trousers, dolls, buttons, local soap and tins of milo beverage to Europe, United Arab Emirates and Asia have been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at some courier firms in Lagos State.
This was disclosed by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday.
Babafemi said some of the consignments intercepted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation at courier houses in Lagos State included: tramadol 225mg concealed in hems of new jeans trousers heading to Cyprus; shipment of cannabis sativa hidden in heads of dolls going to Dubai, UAE; sachets of tramadol 225mg buried in tins of milo beverage going to UAE; another set of same drug hidden in local soap also going to UAE; as well as a consignment of methamphetamine concealed in buttons heading to Hong Kong.
A shipment of another illicit substance coming from Florida, United States of America was equally intercepted at a courier firm, while the recipient, Daniel Ogi, was tracked by NDLEA officers and arrested at 5, Akeem Shittu street, Ajao Estate, Lagos on November 24, 2023.
Operatives in Lagos State on December 1 also arrested a drug kingpin, Okechukwu Ogala, 56, who specialises in exploiting and recruiting young citizens to export meth to Asian countries.
He was arrested at Blue Moon Hotel in Okota area of Lagos State with 60 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.009 kilograms.
In another operation in Lagos on the same day, operatives recovered 393kgs of cannabis in a shop at Akala, Mushin, while a suspect, Justin Enuonye, who deals in Canadian Loud, was arrested by the police at Victoria Island and transferred to Lagos State Command of the NDLEA with 154 parcels weighing 92kgs.
A team of NDLEA operatives also intercepted a vehicle at Oyingbo area of Lagos and recovered 108kg of cannabis from it, while 675 kilograms of the same substance were recovered from the store of a wanted dealer, Wahab Olota, at Adedoja area of Mushin, Lagos.
