The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a cocaine trafficking cartel led by a couple, Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, and recovered multi-billion-naira worth of illicit drugs.
Gatekeepers News reports that the development is contained in a statement signed by the Director, of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi yesterday in Abuja.
Babafemi revealed that the seizures were made in two major operations following the suspects’ arrest in one of the intelligence-led raids.
According to Babafemi, the couple were arrested on Saturday, May 25, by operatives of a special operations unit in NDLEA, and the successful interdiction was made possible with the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States.
He said that the suspects were arrested at Ibiye, a community near Badagry while attempting to smuggle the drugs across the land border into Ghana.
Babafemi said that 42 blocks of cocaine, weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on them when they were arrested.
He said, “A swift follow up operation in their residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC Extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun, led to the recovery of additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg.”
“This brought the total weight of the cocaine seized from the couple to 57.5 kilograms.”
In a separate raid by the special operations unit, no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of lethal synthetic opioid, fentanyl, weighing 6.48kg were recovered.
The NDLEA spokesman said that the drugs were recovered from a member of a drug trafficking syndicate, Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi, 34, at the popular Idumota market in Lagos Island.
Additionally, no less than 790 ampoules of fentanyl weighing 5.273kg were equally seized from another member of the fentanyl syndicate, Chieze Ogechukwu Benjamin, 48, at Idumota market.
Babafemi said, “Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, which is 100 times more potent than heroin is currently responsible for over 70 per cent overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S.”
He said that two other people: Olayiwola Aremu, 37, and Ogunfowora Ajibola, 35, were arrested on Lagos Island in a different raid by NDLEA operatives with 432 grammes of methamphetamine recovered from them.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, May 25, intercepted 15 parcels of Loud at the Tincan port in Lagos.
Babafemi said that the ‘synthetic strain of marijuana’ weighed 7.5kg and was concealed in the doors and body crevices of a Toyota Highlander SUV in a container marked MSMU 7294325.
He added, “The container declared as containing three units of used vehicles, including the Toyota Highlander originated from Toronto and shipped to Nigeria via Montreal, Canada.”
“A swift follow up operation led to the arrest of two suspects: one Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, who were to receive the vehicle and the drug consignment.”
“A bribe of N6 million offered to NDLEA officers by the sender of the container based in Canada through his agent has also been registered as an exhibit for the prosecution of the case.”
Speaking on the arrests and seizure of the dangerous illicit drugs, NDLEA Chairman, retired, Brig.- Gen. Buba Marwa applauded the officers and men of the unit for their resilience in taking down drug cartels and barons.
Marwa also commended the productive collaboration between NDLEA and its local and international partners.
He urged all commands and formations of the agency to remain unrelenting in their offensive against the drug underworld.
