- Skunk in detergent containers recovered at Enugu airport
- Drugged Milo beverages seized, suspect arrested in Edo
By PAUL MICHAEL, Defence Editor, Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos have intercepted no fewer than 101 parcels of cocaine concealed in eight children duvets.
This was disclosed by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in a statement obtained by The Trumpet.
According to him, “The illicit drug was brought into the country by a 52-year-old Brazilian returnee, Akudirinwa Hilary Uchenna, who hails from Oru East Local Government area of Imo state.
“He was arrested on Saturday 9th April at the D-Arrival Hall of the Lagos airport upon his return from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Doha aboard Qatar Airline flight, while the 101 parcels of the class A drug with a gross weight of 13.2 kilogram were recovered from his only check-in bag.”
Babafemi further revealed that during preliminary interview, Uchenna, who claimed to be a carpenter, confessed that he was to be paid N5million for trafficking the drug after successfully delivering the consignment in Lagos.
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This, according to Babafemi, followed a seizure of 746.25 kilograms of cannabis in an early morning raid in the notorious Akala, Mushin area of Lagos state on Saturday 9th April.
In a related development, big pellets of skunk concealed in detergent containers have been intercepted by NDLEA officials at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, (AIIA), Enugu.
“A 37-year-old South African returnee, Ezekwesili Afamefune brought in the consignment weighing 730grams aboard Ethiopian Airline flight from Johannesburg, South Africa via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,” Babafemi said while adding that Ezekwesili is from Awka south local government area of Anambra state.
Meanwhile, a 24-year-old drug dealer, Christian John, has been arrested by NDLEA operatives in Egbeta, Ovia North East LGA of Edo State.
According to NDLEA spokesperson, John was arrested “for selling assorted illicit drugs which include sachets of drugged Milo beverage, cannabis sativa, swinol and tramadol tablets.”
The statement further stated that one Chibuzor Uba, a 30 old man, was arrested on Friday 8th April with 1,955 ampules of pentazocine at Kaura Namoda area of Zamfara state by men of NDLEA.
“A cross-border drug trafficker, Stanley Chibuzor, 21, was on Friday 8th April arrested by officers of the Marine Unit of NDLEA stationed at Oron beach, Oron, Akwa Ibom state,” the statement added.
The Trumpet gathered that the suspect, who hails from Ihiala, Anambra state was nabbed with 11,190 tablets of Tramadol during the outward clearance of passengers traveling to Cameroon.
This followed the arrested of a drug dealer who produces and sells skuchies in Ondo State.
“Oluwaseun Agboola, 25, was arrested on Thursday 7th April, at his Igoba, Second Gate, Akure residence where 73 bottles of skuchies weighing 77kg stocked in his kitchen were recovered,” Babafemi said.
Skuchies are said to be a mixture of Tramadol, Cannabis sativa, Codeine, Black Currant (popularly called Zobo) and water.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending officers and men of the NDLEA Commands for the arrests and seizures, charged them and their colleagues across the country to remain focus and abstain from acts capable of compromising or jeopardising the collective goal of ridding Nigeria off drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
