NDLEA Arrest Alleged Drug Traffickers at Airport

By James Jibril

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has said one Ovire Cyril, a passenger to Italy on Turkish Airline, has been arrested with 114 wraps of heroin weighing 1.80kg during routine search at Gate ‘C’ Departure Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.

The spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday that the suspect who said he was promised €5,000.00 if he delivers the consignment in Italy successfully, was led into drug trafficking due to hardship.

Also, during an outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline passengers’ luggages at the same gate another male passenger, Osakue Evbuomwan travelling to Milan, Italy was arrested with 1.55kg of Tramadol concealed in a ‘Ghana must go’ bag.

“In a related development, an outbound passenger to Italy on Turkish Airline, Ovire Cyril has been arrested with 114 wraps of heroin with a gross weight of 1.80kg during routine search at Gate ‘C’ Departure Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.

“The drugs were concealed inside the pockets of four jean trousers, packed in a black suitcase.

“The suspect who confessed that he was pushed into the crime by hardship after he lost his Job, claimed he was promised €5,000.00 if he successfully delivers the consignment in Italy.

“During outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline passengers’ luggages at the same gate, a male passenger, Osakue Evbuomwan travelling to Milan, Italy was arrested with 1.55kg of Tramadol concealed in a ‘Ghana must go’ bag,” Babafemi said.

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He addded that a young lady of 22 years, Amaka Ogonachukwu has also been arrested by NDLEA for attempting to smuggle wraps of cocaine concealed in cooked white rice to her boyfriend, Monday Imagbebenikaro (40), in the custody of the Edo State Command of the agency for drug related offenses.

Babafemi said that Imagbebenikaro was earlier arrested along Airport Road, Benin City, for dealing in crack cocaine, cannabis Sativa and Danabel (Anabolic steroids).

Also, in major raids at Lagos, the agency said it also seized 8,381,600 capsules of Tramadol and 56,782 bottles of codeine

NDLEA said that the seizures followed a sustained surveillance on some targets at Satellite Town and Alaba Rago areas of Lagos, ahead of Christmas.

The agency added that the Satellite Town targeted was eventually raided on Thursday and an alleged drug kingpin, Ezekiel Ibe, was arrested during the operation.

Over five tons of high milligrams Tramadol (225mg and 100mg) were said to have been recovered from his warehouse.

Babafemi said a breakdown of the seized drug shows 7,991,600 Tramadol tablets and 390,000 capsules of same weighing 5,468.894 kilograms.

The agency also noted that in another similar raid on Monday following tasking surveillance in a notorious neighborhood at Alaba Rago, Alaba area of Lagos, one Surajo Mohammed was arrested with 941.14kg cannabis while 56,782 bottles of codeine were seized from the store of another drug lord still at large.