Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered and dismantled a social media-based drug distribution network in Lagos, arresting two suspects who disguised illicit substances as imported Christmas cookies and snacks.
According to a statement by the agency’s spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, the syndicate, run by Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi, imported consignments of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, which were repackaged in colourful designer sachets with labels of cookies and snacks to conceal the drugs for retail distribution.
Following credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives raided the suspects’ apartment on Ojulari Street, Ikate, Lekki, on Saturday, November 22, where they recovered five kilograms of Loud and a large quantity of the specially designed packaging materials.
The suspects were immediately taken into custody.
In a separate operation in Lagos, officers arrested 38-year-old Philip Ucheka on Thursday, November 27, while he was receiving 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 55.6 kilograms at Ladipo, Mushin.
Three delivery vehicles used in the drug trade were also seized.
The agency disclosed that additional seizures included 100 grams of Loud hidden inside a teddy bear imported from Thailand and 548 tramadol capsules concealed in bottles of Vitamin C and Magnesium, intercepted at a logistics firm in Lagos.
NDLEA also reported significant arrests and seizures in other states. In Oyo State, Wasiu Kareem, 55, was nabbed by operatives of the agency along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway with thousands of ampoules, bottles, and pills of controlled substances including pentazocine, codeine syrup, Co-codamol, and tramadol.
Similarly, In Ondo State, seven suspects were arrested in Ipe forest, Akoko South East, with over 3,000 kilograms of skunk cannabis.
Those arrested include: John Ede; Ede Ndubuisi; Ikenna Abe; Eze Chukwuma; Maduabuchi Odo; Nnaji Chudubem and Gorge Okowor.
While Anthony Sylvester, 49, was arrested along Okene/Lokoja highway Kogi state conveying 649kg skunk in a truck on Wednesday 26th November, NDLEA officers at the Seme Special Area Command on Friday 28th November raided a warehouse at Ashipa, Seme border area of Badagry, Lagos where they arrested a suspect Abubakar Shuaibu, 33, with 487 blocks of skunk weighing 243.5kg.
In Kano, Tsalha Alasan, 47, was arrested along Zaria-Kano road with 137kg skunk on Monday 24th November, while three suspects: Godspower Appeal, 50; Ernest Upong, 55; and Godday Chukwudi, 38, were nabbed on Wednesday 26th November with 322 blocks of skunk weighing 209kilograms at Fanshanu village, Toro LGA, Bauchi state. A black Toyota Highlander jeep marked ABJ 533 EA used in conveying the consignment was also recovered from them.
A suspect John Ekojo, 51, was arrested with 210.15kg skunk along Abuja/Jos highway on Saturday 29th November, while a couple: Abdullahi Abubakar, 45, and Jamila Abdullahi, 35, were nabbed along Abuja/Kaduna highway with 725 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition concealed in a sack of maize just as another suspect Awwal Sabiu, 20, was caught with 400 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition at Abuja/Kaduna tollgate on Friday 28th November.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended officers across Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Seme, and Bauchi for the operations. He urged personnel to continue the agency’s balanced approach to tackling drug abuse and trafficking.