3rd December, 2023
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Lagos drug kingpin, Okechukwu Ogala, at the Blue Moon Hotel in Okota area of the State.
NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday said Ogala, 56, was nabbed on Friday, 1 December, 2023, with 60 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.009 kilograms.
He said the suspect specialised in exploiting and recruiting young citizens to export meth to Asian countries.
“He was arrested at Blue Moon Hotel in Okota area of Lagos with 60 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.009 kilograms,” Babafemi disclosed.
He revealed that in another operation in Lagos, operatives on Friday 1 December recovered 393kgs of cannabis in a shop at Akala, Mushin while a suspect, Justin Enuonye, who deals in Canadian Loud was arrested by the police at Victoria Island and transferred to Lagos Command of NDLEA on Friday 1 December with 154 parcels weighing 92kgs.
“A team of NDLEA operatives also intercepted a vehicle at Oyingbo area of Lagos and recovered 108kgs of cannabis from it, while 675 kilograms of the same substance were recovered from the store of a wanted dealer, Wahab Olota at Adedoja area of Mushin, Lagos.
“No fewer than 8,000 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered by NDLEA operatives on Friday 1st December when they intercepted a vehicle transporting the opioid along Abuja- Kaduna road, with the driver, Shamsu Isiyaku and his conductor, Muhammad Maina arrested. Same day, operatives also arrested Ernest Esechie, 30, with 44.4 kilograms of compressed cannabis sativa along Gwantu- Sanga road, Kaduna.
“In Kogi, NDLEA officers arrested Ahmad Umar, 18, with 46.4kgs cannabis at a check point in Kabba, while Jamilu Zakari, 32, was nabbed at Kofar Idi, Kandahar, Bauchi town, Bauchi state with 125 blocks of same substance that weighed 146kgs.
“At least, 542.3kgs of cannabis were recovered from a suspect, Festus Egeogoli, 32, when his base at Jakpa road, Warri, Delta state was raided by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 29th Nov, while 125.9kgs of same substance were also seized from a store in the same area,” Babafemi stated.