NDLEA intercepts large consignments of illicit drugs in 7 states

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs in seven states across the country. The states include Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Ondo, Oyo and Edo, in a series of intelligence-led operations. This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.

Breaking down the operation, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives, acting on actionable intelligence about the movement of skunk, intercepted a white Volkswagen LT 28 bus along Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, Lagos. Babafemi said the NDLEA operatives intercepted 537kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, on Sunday, Oct. 25, while it was being transported from the Island to the Mainland.

“The same day, another team of officers intercepted a brown J5 bus along the Gbagada–Oshodi expressway, with 439 kilograms of the same substance seized,”he said. In Oyo, NDLEA operatives on Thursday conducted a follow-up operation at Idere road, Igboora, where two suspects were arrested. Babafemi said that their arrest came while loading 554 kilograms of skunk into a Volvo truck for onward movement into town.

“The operation targeted a notorious drug dealer known as ‘Omo Oba’, who escaped arrest on October 25. “This happened when officers seized 309.5 kilograms of the strong cannabis strain popularly called ‘Ghanaian Loud’ linked to him,” he said. Also, in Kano, NDLEA operatives on Monday raided a location in Tsamiya area of Gezawa where they recovered 247,500 tablets of diazepam weighing 57.7 kilograms and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 weighing 38.7 kilograms.

“Two days later, on Wednesday, October 28, another team of officers stormed Dorayi area of the state, where they arrested two suspects with 19,250 pills of tramadol 225mg weighing 13.6 kilograms,” Babafemi said. According to him, in a raid at Tashan Banke area of the state, officers also arrested seven suspects and recovered 178.85 kilograms of cannabis alongside quantities of diazepam, tramadol, Exol-5 and pregabalin.

In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives, on Oct. 25 acting on credible intelligence, raided cannabis farms in Ijare forest. Babafemi said that they arrested four suspects, adding that a total of 16 bags of processed cannabis weighing 180 kilograms were recovered from the farms. Similarly, a team of NDLEA operatives supported by soldiers on Wednesday raided Eko Camp in Ilushi, Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State.

Babafemi said that a cannabis plantation measuring 1.646 hectares with an estimated yield of 4,115.53 kilograms was destroyed. “A 50-year-old woman was arrested at the camp with 301 kilograms of processed cannabis, while another 176 kilograms of the drug was recovered during the raid,”he said. In Sokoto, operatives of Zone 7 Command of NDLEA, acting on credible intelligence, on Saturday arrested a 68-year-old man with 236.6 kilograms of skunk