The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug trafficker in Lagos, identified as Ajetsibo Emami, also known as ‘Warri Kinsman’.
This was made known in a statement issued by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
The suspected trafficker was arrested on Saturday, June 28, in the Ikeja area of Lagos.
Acting on a tip-off, NDLEA operatives moved in as he tried to move a drug consignment from Ikeja to Lekki.
He was caught alongside three others, and 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain weighing 414.2kg, were seized.
Naijaonpoint reports that the agency also uncovered several drug smuggling attempts across the country.
A parcel heading to the UK was found to contain 420 grams of cocaine hidden inside 84 pieces of female lipsticks.
Another package, bound for Saudi Arabia, had 280 grams of cocaine tucked into a certificate of occupancy, commonly used as proof of land ownership.
Both shipments were stopped before they could exit Nigeria.
In a related case, a couple identified as Ajah Johnson Uchenna and Rosemary Uchenna, along with their two daughters and a family friend, were taken into custody after being linked to a drug distribution network operating in Lagos.
The couple was first arrested on June 13 with 277.5kg of cannabis.
While still being investigated, further intelligence led NDLEA operatives to raid their residence on July 1, where an additional 231kg of the same substance was found.
Their daughters, Ngozi and Blessing Uchenna, along with their associate Okoro Elijah, were arrested during the follow-up operation.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA intercepted a traveller, Aburemi Hysent, on July 2 while he was trying to smuggle 7,660 tramadol pills hidden inside food items to Italy.
He confessed he was promised €800 for the delivery.
Another operation at the Lagos airport uncovered 52 travellers’ cheques worth AU$17.7 million hidden inside children’s books destined for Malaysia via Istanbul.
The suspect, a freight agent named Bolarinwa Saheed, was arrested.
The cheques, believed to be fake, were handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.
Also, NDLEA operatives recovered 718 large parcels of cannabis weighing 359kg from a store in Baba-Pupa near the Seme border on July 5.
On the Okene-Lokoja highway, they intercepted 10,000 tramadol pills and over a kilogram of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis strain.
Follow-up operations led to the arrest of three suspects in Abuja, identified as Chinedu Odo, Samuel Ogbonna, and Kingsley Ugaji.
In Osun State, a series of raids between July 1 and 3 led to multiple arrests.
Agunbiade Folusho and Suleiman Dasola were caught with over 13,000 opioid pills in Osogbo.
Another man, Adebayo Adewale, was arrested at Ile-Ife with over 48,000 pills.
A raid on a vulcaniser’s workshop in Alekuwodo turned up ampoules of pentazocine, tramadol pills, and codeine syrup.
A cannabis plantation covering 9.67 hectares was destroyed at Ikaka, Oke-Ila forest in Osun, with 24,175kg of skunk burned.
Seven men were arrested on the farm.
In Borno, NDLEA seized 167kg of skunk at Gamboru-Ngala. In Kano, officers intercepted 452kg of the same substance at Gadar Tamburawa along Zaria-Kano road, leading to the arrest of Nasuru Saleh and Mustapha Muhammad.
In Abuja, 11,000 tramadol pills were seized from Sule Ibrahim Sadiq on the Kaduna road, while in Sokoto, 62-year-old Joseph Onungene was found with 4,800 tramadol pills. In Kebbi, 312kg of cannabis and 10,000 diazepam tablets were confiscated during a raid in Yauri.
In Taraba, two men identified as Chigbo Okolo and Ishaku Musa were arrested with nearly 50,000 tramadol capsules at Mallum in Ardo-Kola LGA.
In Edo State, NDLEA raided the Ewere forest and arrested a wanted trafficker, Alaba Monday, with 115kg of cannabis. Three others were arrested at another farm.
In Cross River, a 78-year-old man, Mike Abeng, was arrested with cannabis and tramadol during a raid in Ofudua, Obubra LGA.
Others arrested in the operation were Oyom Akam, Sylvester Odem, and Moses Ayo.