By Jude-Ken Ojinnaka
In its determination to stem the tide of drug trafficking in the country, operatives of the special unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency over the weekend intensified their anti-drug operations which resulted in the clampdown on some drug kingpins in Lagos State, recovering multi-billion naira worth of drugs.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.
According to the statement, a female head of one of the syndicates, Ebele Nwankwo, was arrested last Wednesday at her residence, House 6, C Close, 3rd Avenue, in the Festac area of Lagos, shortly after she returned from a warehouse at Plot 3432, Sola Akinsola Street, Divine Estate, Amuwo Odofin where she loaded eight cartons of tramadol 225mg into an unmarked white Honda Pilot SUV.
Babafemi said a search in Nwankwo’s residence and the warehouse led to the recovery of 2,750,000 pills of ‘Tramaking’, a brand of tramadol 225mg and 250mg packed in 39 cartons weighing 1,916Kg.
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“The drugs and the SUV were recovered while the suspect was taken into custody,” the agency’s spokesman disclosed.
In another operation last Friday, the operatives tracked a drug syndicate to Atlantic Nominee Estate in the Lekki-Ajah area of Lagos where a blue Toyota Highlander SUV was loaded with 8.49kg of cocaine and 10.3kg Canadian Loud for distribution by Urama Chinemelum, 32, and Adelakun Oluade
According to him, a follow-up operation at Chinemelum’s residence at House 7, Road 7, Lagra Estate, Eti-Osa, Lagos led to the recovery of additional 18 blocks of Loud weighing 18.5kg.
Babafemi added, “The following day being Saturday, operatives of the Special Unit went after another syndicate involved in the importation, distribution and diversion of ephedrine hydrochloride, a precursor chemical used for the production of methamphetamine, following intelligence that members of the cartel were planning to divert 25kg of the substance.
“Two members of the syndicate: Udeh Ogbonna, 53, and Okonkwo Uzozie, 50, were arrested at a commercial bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, Lagos where they were attempting to send the concealed substance to the South-East.
“A body search conducted on the two suspects led to the recovery of $3,000 found on Udeh Vincent Ogbonna.”
In operations across four other states of Ogun, Ondo, Edo and Nasarawa, the NDLEA operatives recovered over 13,391.8Kg of skunk.
No fewer than 1,955Kg of the illicit substance packed in 139 jumbo bags and stored in the warehouse of a wanted notorious drug dealer, Lekan Jimoh (a.k.a Konmo Konmo) in the Ado Odo Ota area of Ogun State were recovered on Saturday in collaboration with officers and men of the Nigerian Army.