- Safiu Kehinde
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a large consignment of cocaine concealed in tins of palm kernel extract.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, the consignment billed for United Kingdom were intercepted with the warehouse where the shipments are packaged raided while all the three layers of the group were unraveled leading to the arrest of the kingpin.
The discovery of the consignment also led to the dismantling of a drug trafficking syndicate in high stakes intelligence led operations that lasted three weeks.
The breakthrough began on Wednesday 11th of March, when NDLEA officers of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command Ikeja Lagos intercepted 3.10 kilograms of cocaine at the export shed of the airport.
Two suspects handling the shipment, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were promptly arrested.
A well-coordinated sting operation carried out on Thursday 2nd of April led to arrest of the arrowhead of the drug syndicate and sender of the consignment, Ezemuwo Joel.
who operates under a fake identity as Ajayi.
The arrest of Ezemuwo, who operates under fake identity as Ajayi, provided the link to the syndicate’s head, 52-year-old King Arinze was flushed out of a hideout in the Isolo area of Lagos.
He was thereafter taken to his warehouse at 11, Ola Ifa Street, Bucknor, Isolo where NDLEA operatives recovered 886 tins of palm kernel extract prepared for drug concealment; industrial tools including a sealing machine, tin openers; paint sprays; 52 grams of cannabis sativa and a pack of hand gloves.
Arinze has since confessed to personally draining the oil from the tins to conceal the cocaine.
In a separate operation in Borno state, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 1st April intercepted a female drug supplier to bandit groups operating between the North East and Chad.
The 28-year-old, suspect, Aisha Adamu, was arrested along Gamboru Ngala road in possession of 4.3 kilograms of Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis.