The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a nursing mother attempting to smuggle cannabis hidden in the wrap of ‘akpu’ into the cell for a suspect in custody.
The Agency said the woman, 35-year-old Mariam Drissu, was arrested at its Edo state Command headquarters on Thursday, October 21, while smuggling drugs into the cell for a suspect in custody.
Officers on duty had while searching the food brought by Mariam for her relation in custody, discovered two cups of “Loud” cannabis weighing 13grams buried inside the food (akpu) meant for the suspect in custody, a statement signed by the spokesman of the Agency, Femi Babafemi said on Sunday.
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The statement obtained by PlatinumPost in Abuja said operatives of the Agency also recorded numerous successes in a crackdown against peddlers of Illicit drugs across the country in the last week.
It said NDLEA operatives intercepted over 2,060 kilograms of various drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, tramadol and Rohypnol, in operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport MMIA, Lagos, as well as Ondo, Edo, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau and some courier companies.
“Two consignments of heroin weighing 4.40kg and 550grams were intercepted on October 6 and 15 respectively at the cargo shed of the MMIA, Ikeja. The first was seized at the SAHCO import shed of the airport when it was discovered inside bags of granulated sugar and flour from Johannesburg, South Africa, via Addis Ababa to Lagos on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
”Two suspects; Chukwuemeka Ugochukwu, a freight agent that cleared the consignment and one Kabiru Aminu, a stock keeper that was to collect the cargo for onward distribution to recipients, were arrested for further investigation. In a follow-up operation on October 9, one Adeoya Segun Joy, who collected the luggage from Kabiru Aminu, was detained at Ajao estate, while Enahoro Emmanuel Anointing was also assigned to collect the consignment, was nabbed in the Abuleegba area of Lagos. Both were acting on instructions from their partners in South Africa.
“The second consignment discovered at the SAHCO export shed and concealed in walls of 10 cartons laced with tailoring materials, was heading to Malaysia via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian cargo airline, while a freight forwarding agent, Ekpe Samson Victor, was arrested in connection with the illegal export.
“Attempts by another freight agent, Igwe Okoye Onwukwe, to export two consignments of cannabis to the United Kingdom have been foiled by NDLEA operatives. The first attempt was made on October 15, when Igwe Okoye Onwukwe presented a carton of 16.55kg cannabis for export to the UK at the NAHCO export shed, where he was promptly arrested. Curiously, another consignment of 15.85kg cannabis, also heading to the UK and intercepted on October 20, was traced to Onwukwe as the owner even while still undergoing investigation in custody.
“In Ondo state, two persons, Uchenna Obodo Ali, 22, and Tochukwu Eno, 20, were arrested with 302kg of cannabis when operatives raided a warehouse in Emure forest, Owo LGA on Friday, October 22.
” In Kano, a 45-year-old driver Mohammed Haruna was arrested with 10,161 sachets of Tramadol and Rohypnol tablets and capsules while conveying the illicit drugs in a bus for distribution. Likewise, in Kaduna, another suspected fake soldier, Abiodun Ademoya, from Akure south in Ondo state, was arrested in Zaria with 11.6kg of cannabis.
“Also in Plateau, operatives intercepted a Yola bound mass transit bus, with registration number FKY 341 ZA belonging to Gombe Express coming from Lagos, along Jos-Abuja Road, within Riyom LGA. One of the passengers, Ahmad Musa Musa, 32, was found to possess 22 pellets of compressed Cannabis Sativa with a total weight of 15kg concealed inside a black bag.
“In the same vein, officers of the Edo State Command also on Thursday raided a Cannabis farm measuring 3.210691 hectares, in Ayegunle forest, Akoko Edo area of the state, destroyed the plantation and evacuated 100 bags of harvested cannabis weighing 1,639kg, while a suspect, Samuel Ochonogor was arrested in the forest with 66.7 kilograms of cannabis.
“At some courier companies in Lagos, over 4.5kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in palm fruit tins, artwork, bottles of cashew nuts, auto spare parts, and picture frame going to Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Qatar were intercepted by operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigations, DOGI, of the Agency, ” the statement said.
