National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Lagos-based auto parts dealer, Ejiofor Chiwuzie, for attempting to export consignments of heroin and cannabis hidden inside LED rechargeable lamps and the metal legs of sofas.
According to the agency, Chiwuzie attempted to smuggle the drugs out of the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Mr. Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, “Concealed inside the LED lamps and sofa legs were 37 parcels of heroin weighing 1.10 kilograms and four blocks of loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1.20kg.”
His arrest followed the seizure of his cargo at the airport’s export shed. Ejiofor was apprehended at the Trade Fair complex in Ojo, Lagos, where he operates as a spare parts dealer. The cargo, which was bound for Liberia, contained auto parts, rechargeable lamps, and electronics, among which the drugs were hidden.
The NDLEA swiftly conducted follow-up operations leading to the arrest of two freight agents who assisted in shipping the consignment. Ejiofor was later taken into custody as the mastermind behind the smuggling attempt.
In a continued crackdown on drug trafficking, the NDLEA has thwarted multiple attempts by smuggling networks to export illegal drugs, concealed through courier services, to various destinations worldwide. Among the drugs seized were consignments of heroin, cannabis, tramadol pills, co-codamol tablets, and other controlled substances.
In one of the significant operations, NDLEA officers foiled an attempt to smuggle 2.3 kilograms of loud, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in a carton destined for Thailand. Another 749 grams of tramadol pills were hidden inside the soles of locally made footwears bound for Oman. Other drug consignments, such as pentazocine injections and co-codamol tablets, were intercepted en route to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
In another high-profile arrest, the NDLEA took into custody Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, a community leader in Badagry. His arrest followed the seizure of 226 kilograms of cannabis found at his residence. His family, including two wives and a son, had also been implicated in the illegal drug trade.
The wave of arrests continued across various states. In Kogi, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck carrying over 2,000 kilograms of cannabis on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers recovered nearly 10 kilograms of cannabis and a dangerous blend known as “monkey tail,” a fermented mixture of cannabis and dry gin. Further south, in Rivers State, 1,500 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup, containing a total of 150,000 bottles, were intercepted at the Onne Port.