NDLEA smashes six drug syndicates, seizes tons of Narcotics nationwide

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has launched a sweeping crackdown on drug trafficking networks across the country, dismantling six major syndicates and arresting nine suspected kingpins in a series of intelligence-driven operations spanning several states.

This is contained in a statement issued by NDLEA‘s spokesman, Femi Babafemi on Sunday.

He said in a coordinated operation on 18 November in Onitsha, Anambra State, operatives arrested two members of a drug trafficking organisation after they attempted to collect illicit consignments concealed in pressure machine cylinders imported from South Africa.

Babafemi stated that the seized shipment, which arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, via a Tag-Angola flight on 13 November, contained 5.40kg of methamphetamine, 10.70kg of Loud, 16g of cocaine, and other controlled substances.

The suspects, 30-year-old electrical appliance dealer Ebulue Lotanwa Uzochukwu and 51-year-old South Africa returnee Christopher Michael Ndibuisi, were apprehended during a sting operation at a logistics company in Onitsha.

At the Lagos airport, NDLEA officers on 20 November intercepted a brake servo auto part used to hide 48 pellets and a block of cocaine weighing 2.30kg.

The freight agent, Ameh Solomon, was arrested, and a follow-up operation at the Trade Fair Complex led to the arrest of auto parts dealer Nwafor Tochukwu Boniface.

In Kogi State, operatives impounded 4,700kg of skunk concealed in a trailer in Kabba on 17 November. Three suspects were arrested, and a subsequent operation in Jos on 21 November led to the arrest of the alleged owner of both the vehicle and the drugs, Marcus Danladi Dan Mangu.

Similarly, in Cross River State, a couple, Onun Okoi Okpotum, 55, and Itam Okoi Okpotum, 52,were arrested on 19 November after NDLEA officers uncovered 4,706kg of skunk stored in their warehouse in Ugep, Yakur LGA.

In Edo State, two women, Praise Nwogu, 19, and Ebong Emem Oghosa, 25, were arrested in Benin City on 22 November for producing and selling drug-laced brownies online. Nwogu had 12 plates and a cup of the product at the time of her arrest, while Oghosa was found with skunk, Colorado, and brownies. A related raid in Ososo village on 18 November led to the arrest of Shedrack Aminu and the recovery of 59kg of skunk.

NDLEA operatives on the Enugu–Onitsha highway intercepted Chinoso Emmanuel Monday, 24, with 10.1kg of skunk, over 105,000 pills of tramadol, 700 ampoules of pentazocine, and 3,000 rounds of live ammunition, while in Kebbi State, officers evacuated 13,155 bottles of codeine syrup from a warehouse in Dole-Kaina and arrested Umar Adamu, 23, with 12,548 opioid pills concealed in paracetamol containers reportedly heading to a Boko Haram enclave in Borno.

Further arrests were recorded along the Abaji–Abuja expressway, where 430.5kg of cannabis was seized on 17 November. In Niger State, Samson Dafe, 47, was arrested on 18 November with 85,100 opioid pills and 5,456 bottles of codeine syrup, while a raid on a residence in Shiroro LGA led to the recovery of 471.8kg of compressed skunk.

In Lagos, operatives arrested Oluchi Celestine with 2.6kg of Colorado hidden in branded containers and flight boarding cards.

A major raid on the notorious Peti drug enclave on Lagos Island yielded 385kg of narcotics and two additional arrests. At Maza Maza, NDLEA officers also recovered 163,200 tramadol capsules.

Across the country, NDLEA Commands intensified the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign, engaging schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Katsina, Sokoto, Niger, and Enugu.

NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised the operatives for their coordination and vigilance, noting that drug cartels often attempt to escalate their activities during the festive season.

“Drug cartels may attempt to increase their illegal activities during the busy holiday period. We must not, and we will not, let down our guard,” he said.

Marwa urged officers nationwide to maintain pressure and sustain the balanced approach to drug control as the festive period approaches.