The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives have apprehended Sherif Egbo Ally, a 40-year-old businessman based in Madrid, Spain, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. He was arrested while trying to board an Air France flight to Paris, France, after illicit drugs were discovered in his system.
Egbo’s arrest took place on October 14th when a body scanner revealed he had concealed wraps of illicit drugs in his stomach.
He was subsequently placed under observation in the Agency’s exhibit recovery room, where he excreted 93 pellets of heroin weighing 2.222 kilograms. In his statement, the suspect admitted to working at a chicken hatchery farm in Madrid, Spain, while also being involved in drug trafficking.
Simultaneously, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos seized a consignment of 10 cartons containing 500,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, branded as tapentadol.
The cargo, shipped from India through Qatar Airways, was purported to be transit cargo to Monrovia, Liberia, but was intercepted due to intelligence sharing between NDLEA and its Liberian counterpart.
Another thwarted attempt involved a passenger named Ngene Chinecherem Oscar, who was trying to export 11.100kgs of skunk and 600 grams of tramadol concealed in foodstuffs through the Lagos airport. NDLEA officers arrested him and seized the illicit substances.
In separate operations, NDLEA officers attached to courier companies intercepted 1kg of methamphetamine concealed in containers of body cream bound for New Zealand, along with a consignment of 2.5kgs of cocaine and phenacetin hidden in carton walls destined for Saudi Arabia.
Two more seizures were made in Lagos, including 112 grams of Dimethyl Sulfone concealed in the hollow of a motor driving shaft going to New Zealand, and a consignment of cocaine and phenacetin packed into a bottle of body cream heading to Saudi Arabia.
In Imo state, operatives intercepted a Mercedes Benz container truck on October 15th, parked along Owerri – Onitsha expressway, leading to the recovery of 168 bags of skunk weighing 1,854 kilograms. Additional seizures of 1,381.3kgs of the same substance occurred in various interdiction operations in parts of Edo state.
Kano state saw the arrest of an ex-convict, Aminu Suleiman, along with two others, while 106kgs of cannabis were recovered from them. Four more suspects were arrested in Kano for dealing in 75.3kgs of skunk.
In the Zone J Command, 478kgs of cannabis were seized in a forest in Ikere Ekiti, and Ondo state command recovered a total of 928kgs of the same substance in various locations. In Borno state, a suspect was arrested with 182kgs of cannabis.
Commands across the 36 states and the FCT continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization lectures in schools, communities, workplaces, and more, spreading awareness and education about the dangers of drug abuse.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the efforts of NDLEA officers and called on them to remain vigilant, especially with the increased desperation of criminal networks to profit by any means during the upcoming holiday season.
