Posted by The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has announced the arrest of Sherif Egbo Ally, a 40-year-old businessman from Madrid, Spain, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, while attempting to board an Air France flight to Paris, France, after discovering he had ingested illicit drugs.
According to the NDLEA, Egbo was detained on Saturday, October 14th, after a body scanner search indicated he had wraps of illegal substances in his stomach.
The defendant was then held under observation at the exhibit recovery room, where he expelled 93 pellets of heroin weighing 2.222 kg, according to the anti-narcotics agency.
In a statement made on Sunday, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed that the suspect claimed to work at a chicken breeding farm in Madrid, Spain, and is also involved in narcotics trafficking.
Babafemi further stated that NDLEA agents seized 500,000 tramadol 225mg pills branded as tapentadol on Monday, October 16th, in the NAHCO imports shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.
He explained that the package, which was delivered from India via Qatar Airways with the airwaybill number MAWB 319-01227236, was ostensibly destined for Monrovia, Liberia.
According to Babafemi, the lid was blown open through collaboration and real-time intelligence sharing systems between the NDLEA and its Liberian counterpart.
The representative also disclosed that the Agency has made other seizures.
“Attempt by an intending passenger on Qatar Airways to Muscat, Oman, Ngene Chinecherem Oscar, to export 11.100kgs of skunk and 600grams of tramadol concealed in foodstuffs through the Lagos airport was thwarted by NDLEA officers who arrested him and seized the illicit substances,” he stated.
“In another operation, on Sunday 15th October, NDLEA officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations, DOGI, attached to courier companies intercepted 1kg methamphetamine concealed in containers of body cream bound for New Zealand, as well as another consignment of 2.5kgs cocaine and phenacetin concealed in the walls of a carton bound for Saudi Arabia.”
“On Wednesday, October 18th, another courier company in Lagos made two more seizures: 112grams of Dimethyl Sulfone and 583grams of Cocaine and phenacetin.” While the Dimethyl Sulfone was hidden in the hollow of a motor drive shaft bound for New Zealand, the Cocaine and Phenacetin were placed in a bottle of body lotion bound for Saudi Arabia.
“On Sunday, October 15th, operatives in Imo State intercepted a Mercedes Benz container truck marked ABN 418 YN parked in an isolated area along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway.” A search of the abandoned truck yielded 168 bags of skunk weighing 1, 854 kg.
“Not less than 1,381.3kgs of the same substance were seized in four interdiction operations in parts of Edo State including: Ekpon community, Igueben LGA; Iguiye forest in Ovia North East LGA; Iruekpen, Ndokwa West where a suspect, Monday Samuel Nwocha was arrested and Egwalor village in Onwude LGA where the duo of Obune Prince and Chika Obi was arrested and their Audi 80 salon car marked BEN 406 CL loaded with cannabis sativa, recovered.
“On Saturday 14th October, an ex-convict, Aminu Suleiman, 46, was arrested along with Haruna Abdurrahaman, 41, and Ojo Joseph Esezobor, 34, in Kano State, with 106kgs of cannabis recovered from them.” Aminu was arrested with 22kgs of cannabis on June 3, 2022, and convicted by a court on November 24, 2022. Four other suspects, Inusa Fugu Ali, Yahaya Musa, Abba Audu, Ali Abubakar, and Bunu Kyari, were arrested on Monday 16th October in Kano’s Gadar Tamburawa district for trafficking in 75.3kgs of skunk.
“On Friday 20th October, operatives of the Agency’s Zone J Command seized 478kgs of cannabis in a forest in Ikere Ekiti, while those of Ondo State Command recovered a total of 928kgs of the same substance in a bush by Shagari market, along Ifon-Owo express road, and Ibola camp, Ipele forest.”
“In Borno State, a suspect, Sani Mohammed, 31, was arrested on Saturday 21st October with 182kgs of cannabis at Njimtilo, along Maiduguri – Damaturu road.”
Babafemi went on to say that the commands in the 36 states and the FCT were also continuing their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures in schools, communities, and workplaces, among other things.
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, complimented officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Imo, Ondo, Kano, Edo, Zone J Commands, as well as those of DOGI, for the recent arrests and seizures.
Marwa likewise charged them and their compatriots across all Agency formations to be cautious and double their efforts, especially with criminal networks desperate to generate money by any means possible as the year comes to a close.