Drug war: NDLEA arrests 20 suspects in 4 states, nabs woman linked to Pakistani cocaine syndicate.

 

 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested no fewer than 20 suspects for drug-related crimes in four states.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, who said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, named the states as Edo, Ogun, Osun and Ondo.

He said that operatives in Ogun state in the early hours of Saturday, Nov. 12, raided a warehouse at Ogere area of Ikene Local Government Area (LGA) where they seized 273 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa.

 

This, he said, weighed 3,533 kilogrammes (3.533tons) from a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jesutofunmi Solomon.

 

He also added that it came on the heels of the seizure of 176kgs of cannabis sativa at Ogere trailer park on Wednesday Nov. 9 and the destruction of 15 hectares of cannabis plantation in Gbamgbam area of the state.

 

In the same vein, operatives in Osun state have raided a cannabis plantation at Obada sawmill, Owena Ijesa in Oriade LGA where they destroyed 1.2 hectares, recovered 2,823kgs of processed cannabis sativa and arrested 13 suspects on Sunday, Nov. 6.

 

“In Ondo, operatives seized 78kgs of cannabis from a dealer, Beauty Godwin, at Ofosu along Benin-Ore express road, and another 264kgs from Abdul Rasheed Mohammed, and Abdul Rasheed Haruna at Sanusi camp 2 in Owo.

 

“In Rivers state, anti-narcotics officers of the agency arrested Damion Onuoha during a raid at Elele Alimini community, Emuoha LGA.

 

“This is where he was found with 1.6kgs of Methamphetamine as well as monetary exhibit amounting to six hundred and fifty thousand, seven hundred naira (N650,700.00),” he said.

 

Babafemi said that joint operation with the military at Habour road, Port Harcourt City, also led to the arrest of Sandra David and seizure of different quantities of cocaine and heroin.

 

He said that N2,055,750.00 cash exhibit were recovered from her home.

 

“In Edo state, operatives located and destroyed 10 clusters of cannabis sativa farms measuring 14 hectares at Igwalor forest, Uhunmwonde LGA, where five bags of processed cannabis sativa weighing 47.7kgs were recovered.

 

“While a raid at Obadan village in the same LGA, also led to the recovery of 11 bags of cannabis sativa seeds weighing 399kgs..

 

“Also 34 bags of processed substance weighing 431kgs, bringing the total weight to 830kgs. Two suspects: Enododia Sunday and Osayaba Paul were arrested at the scene,” he said.

Also, The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested fleeing Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Alhaji Ademola Kazeem, over offences bordering on exportation, trafficking of illicit drugs and money laundering.

 

The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Mr Femi Babafemi said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

 

Babafemi said that the arrest of the suspect, also known as Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem, was made 10 days after he was declared wanted by the agency.

 

He said that the agency on Tuesday, Nov. 1, declared the suspect wanted following his failure to honour NDLEA invitations and an order granted by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

 

He also said that the wanted drug kingpin was uncovered as the sponsor of some traffickers arrested by the anti-narcotics agency in their recent attempt to export cocaine to Dubai, United Arab Emirates and other destinations outside Nigeria.

 

He added that the search for him, however, paid off on Thursday, Nov. 10, when he was successfully taken into custody where he is currently being interviewed.

 

According to Babafemi, his lid was blown open after the arrest of one of his mules, Bolujoko Babalola, a Lagos BRT driver, on June 27 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja.

 

“Babalola named Alhaji Ademola Kazeem, alias Adekaz, as the owner of the 900grams of cocaine he ingested.

 

“Following Adekaz’s failure to honour invitations sent to him, the agency approached a Federal High Court in Lagos with three prayers.

 

This includes to “attach and seal his identified properties in choice areas of Lagos island and Ibadan.

 

“Also to declare him wanted and block his bank account with a cash balance of Two Hundred and Seventeen Million Naira (N217,000,000.00), all of which were granted,” he said.

 

In a related development, NDLEA operatives also arrested a businesswoman, Chisom Okefun, over her links with two Pakistanis: Asif Muhammed, 45, and Hussain Naveed, 57.

 

Babafemi said that the suspects were arrested at the Lagos airport with 8 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a sound system while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Lahole, Pakistan, via Doha on Saturday Nov. 5. (NAN)