- Safiu Kehinde
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has nabbed a 23-year-old Indian businessman, Gupta Kumar, in connection with the seizure of 2.3 million pills of tramadol worth N3.9 billion.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, the consignment concealed in 114 cartons of multi-vitamins had arrived at the import shield of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos, on Monday 8th of September via an Ethiopian Airline flight.
A team of NDLEA officers who had put the consignment under surveillance however swooped on a clearing agent and two drivers who were trying to move the shipment out of the airport in two trucks on Thursday 11th September.
The arrest of the trio identified as Ogunlana Olanrewaju, Olushola Kayode and Bakare Muheeb, led to a follow up operation the following day which resulted to Gupta’s arrest when he was trying to take delivery of the consignment.
Prior to the interception of the tramadol consignment, NDLEA operatives on Sunday 7th of Spetember intercepted a passenger Onyeganochi Ifeanyi travelling on a Qatar Airline flight to Doha at the terminal 2 departure gate of the airport.
A search of Onyeganochi’s bag led to the recovery of 900grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis concealed in crayfish.
As a first-time traveler, the passenger claimed the bag was given to him to help take to Doha by a Qatar-based Nigerian Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna who actually followed him to the airport.
His confession led to the arrest of Uchenna who was still within view.
Operatives who later conducted a search of Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao estate discovered additional 200grams of the same psychoactive substance.
He claimed he was to return to Doha days later and pick the bag from the unsuspecting Onyeganochi if he had succeeded escaping security checks.