The Nigeria’s Anti-narcotic Agency, the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency NDLEA has arrested a Brazilian returnee Mr. Okolie Paulinus Nwabueze at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja for importing Ninety Two (92) wraps of cocaine, which he ingested and eventually excreted after days under observation in the Agency’s facility.
The 53-year-old trafficker who hails from Mmaku village, Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State Southern Nigeria, was arrested on Friday 2nd September upon his arrival on Qatar Airline flight enroute Brazil-Doha-Abuja.
— NDLEA NIGERIA (@ndlea_nigeria) September 11, 2022
A statement by the agency’s spokesperson Mr Femi Babafemi said, the trafficker “claimed to have left Nigeria to Mozambique in 2004 and finally relocated to Brazil in 2017, where he obtained a residence permit before deciding to import the illicit substance for a $4,000 fee.”
In the same vein, a 42-year-old man, Aliyu Bello Kwasare, has been arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, MAKIA, Kano, for attempting to export a consignment of new psychoactive substance, known as Akuskura, to Saudi Arabia.
The indigene of Kware LGA, Sokoto, who lives in Goron Dutse area of Kano Northern Nigeria, was arrested on Monday 5th Sept. during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline flight to Riyadh.
Also, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, South West Nigeria, no fewer than One Million and Ninety Nine Thousand (1,099,000) tablets of Tramadol 225mg have been seized through inter-agency collaboration between NDLEA and the Nigerian Customs.
“The pharmaceutical opioids packed in 50 cartons weighing 2,058.90kg, were imported from Pakistan via Addis-Ababa on Ethiopian Airways. The consignment was concealed among other non-controlled pharmaceuticals.”
Also, “a freight agent, Aliyu Abubakar was on Friday 9th Sept. arrested at the NAHCO export shed of the airport over attempt to export a consignment of cannabis concealed inside bottles of Caro white body lotion,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, attempts by drug cartels to export 7.805 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine to the United States and Australia have been thwarted by NDLEA operatives attached to some courier companies in Lagos.
“The meth consignments were concealed in the linings of local fabric, wooden statutes, printer cartridges, handle of travel bag and cassava flakes.”
From other parts of the country, “a 25-year-old pregnant woman, Haruna Favour, was arrested in Auchi, Edo state on Friday 9th Sept with 82 pinches of methamphetamine as well as various quantities of Loud, Arizona, Colorado variants of cannabis and codeine based cough syrup.”
In Gombe, “One Hundred and Nineteen Thousand (119,000) tablets and capsules of tramadol, D5 and Exol5 were recovered from two drug dealers, Nasiru Abubakar, 22, and Umaru Bayero a.k.a Hadiza when NDLEA operatives raided their stores at the Gombe main market on Tuesday 6th Sept.”
In Kogi, “a suspect, Paul Ali, 47, was arrested along Okene-Abuja highway with 1,404 bottles of Codeine based syrup weighing 190.94kg and 2,040 ampoules of pentazocine injection coming from Onitsha to Sokoto. A follow up operation in Sokoto has also led to the arrest of the receiver of the consignment on Tuesday 6th Sept.”
A raid at the cannabis plantation camp in Emure forest, Owo LGA, Ondo State has led to the arrest of three suspects where sixteen bags of the illicit substance weighing 179.5kg was seized from them.
Reacting on the seizures, the Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of the affected commands for their resilience.
He charged them and their compatriots in other commands to remain focussed and vigilant in their areas of responsibility.
