Widow using fake pregnancy to traffic cocaine arrested by NDLEA in Lagos

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs. Ifeoma Ezewuike, for attempting to traffic 1.3 kilograms of cocaine using a fake pregnancy as cover.

The suspect, a mother of one and proprietor of Golden Star Creation, a fashion outfit in Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, was apprehended on Friday, August 22, at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, while trying to transport the cocaine consignment to Abuja.

A follow-up operation at her residence led to the recovery of 200 grams of cutting agent used in producing a strain of cocaine.

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Ezewuike confessed that she inherited the drug trade from her late husband, who died two years ago, despite having run her fashion business for over two decades.

In another operation, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation, intercepted 90 parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis weighing 48.6kg.

The drugs, imported from the United States and concealed in three cartons of kitchen sinks, were seized at a courier company in Lagos on Tuesday, August 19.

Similarly, a raid in Yola South Local Government Area of Adamawa State on August 22 led to the arrest of 55-year-old Boniface Nnaji, while attempting to escape.

A black Toyota Tundra Jeep and a Toyota Yaris were seized, containing 354,480 tramadol pills.

In Kogi State, at Idah waterside, operatives intercepted 5,000 capsules of tramadol, 400 ampoules of pentazocine, and 200 ampoules of diazepam smuggled from Onitsha into Lokoja.

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Also, in Kano: State, multiple arrests between August 19–23 yielded over 452,070 opioid pills, 140 litres of codeine syrup, and 7,000 tramadol capsules.

In Kwara State, three separate operations led to the interception of over 2.2 tonnes of skunk concealed in trucks at Ajase-Ipo, resulting in several arrests.

NDLEA, in joint operations with security forces, destroyed massive cannabis farms across four states: Delta: 25,500kg on 10.2 hectares at Ndokwa West; Ondo: 25,025kg on 10.01 hectares in Uso; Edo: 14,233.37kg on 5.6 hectares in Owan West; Taraba: 7,500kg on three hectares in Bali LGA.

A further 901kg of cannabis was recovered from a warehouse in Uzebba, Edo State, where 54-year-old suspect, Fodo Stella Sunday, was arrested.

Two dispatch riders were caught on August 21 in Jabi, Abuja, for distributing drugs. Garba Sule, 29, was found with pentazocine injections, while Isaac Augustine, 35, had skunk parcels packaged for delivery.