NDLEA arrests India-bound businessman with 9.40kg heroin

A businessman, Kingsley Celestino has been arrested by operatives of Nigeria’s Anti-narcotic Agency, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), with 9.40 kilograms of heroin concealed in his two travelling bags.

Kingsley, a native of Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos on Qatar Airline flight on Saturday 4th March on his way to India with a Guinean international passport.

A press statement by NDLEA’S spokesperson, Mr. Femi BabaFemi said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect frequently travels to India on business class tickets.

Also, at the Tincan seaport, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday 3rd March, recovered 244 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 79 kilograms concealed in medium size wooden sound system speakers packed inside two out of four used vehicles in a container coming from Toronto via Montreal, Canada.

Similarly, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), attached to courier firms in Lagos intercepted a consignment of nine parcels of methamphetamine concealed in native black soap, Dudu Osun, heading to Europe.

In another development, a 24-year-old passenger travelling to Oman, Etounu Monday, was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Monday 27th February while attempting to export 1.924kg of skunk concealed in cream tubes.

According to BabaFemi, 778,190 pills of pharmaceutical opioids including tramadol and a drum of 270kg Methylene Chloride were recovered by NDLEA’S operatives from a suspect, Eric Yohanna, in Jalingo, Taraba state on Monday 27th Feb following credible intelligence.

“Also seized from him is a Daylong tricycle used in distributing the illicit substances,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Adamawa state, the house of a wanted notorious drug dealer, Mamudu Njobdi at Sebore, Gyalla road Dougada ward, Mubi was raided in the early hours of Monday 27th Feb where he was arrested and drug exhibits recovered.

The NDLEA’S spokesperson further said, while a suspect, Geoffrey Okpani, 31, was arrested at Bukuru area of Jos, Plateau state with 27.45kg of cannabis, Ajayi Tope, 30, was arrested on Saturday 4th March at Area 5 Ile-Ife, in Ife south local government area of Osun state with 18kg of same substance.

While reacting to the arrests and seizures of the past week, the Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the officers, men in the affected Commands for their efforts.

He charged them and their counterparts across the country to intensify the ongoing mop up operations to deny political thugs access to illicit substances ahead of the March 11 Governorship and House of Assembly elections.