By Ayo Kehinde
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of cocaine and tramadol 225mg concealed in 71 vehicle side mirrors at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The drugs were en route to Libreville, Gabon, when the seizure was made. According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, three suspects linked to the illicit cargo have been arrested in follow-up operations.
The first consignment, intercepted on Saturday, July 19, contained 57,420 pills of tramadol 225mg and 57 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.60kg. A well-known cargo agent, Ihekweme Osinachi Benedict, who handled the shipment, was apprehended immediately. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of another suspect, Uzochukwu Godspower Chukwurah, on Sunday, July 20.
On Monday, July 21, operatives recovered 11 more parcels of cocaine weighing 1kg from four additional side mirrors found at Uzochukwu’s residence, raising the total haul to 68 parcels of cocaine weighing 2.60kg.
In a related development, a businesswoman, Mrs. Nwafor Roseann Nneka, was arrested at her shop within the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos, on Friday, August 1. Her arrest followed the earlier seizure of 100 grams of cocaine and 300 grams of phenacetine—a cocaine-cutting agent—concealed in lipstick tubes destined for Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, via the Lagos airport on July 10.
Two cargo agents had initially been detained before Nneka’s arrest. She later confessed to purchasing the lipsticks used for concealment, while her husband, Remigus Nwafor—now at large—handled the packaging.
Commending the various commands for their efforts, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged officers nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach in the ongoing war against drug abuse and trafficking.
