The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has taken into custody two wanted heads of transnational legal organisations with multi-billion-naira price of illicit medication and property seized from them.
This was after weeks of intelligence-led operations throughout the nation and outdoors Nigeria.
A press release by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja, mentioned that the arrest of the suspected drug lords got here on the heels of the interception of some consignments of cocaine and heroin.
Mr Babafemi mentioned that the medication, which had been buried within the bellies of two traffickers heading to Paris, France and Doha, Qatar had been arrested by NDLEA officers on the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.
He mentioned that operatives on the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos, on October 10 succeeded in taking into custody, Hakeem Salami.
He added that the suspect was the arrowhead of “Tajudeen Babatunde Abioye Transnational Criminal Organisation” concerned within the illicit commerce of a number of narcotics.
This, he mentioned, included Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Ephedrine which had been traded between Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, and Europe.
According to him, the suspect fled Nigeria to South Africa upon the arrest of a member of his syndicate, Suleiman Oba, on the Lagos airport on August 25 over try and export 25.10kgs of ephedrine to South Africa.
“Salami was, however, smoked out of hiding through partnership with South African authorities and other intelligence and investigative mechanisms.
“While some of his luxury vehicles have been seized and his home in Surulere Lagos sealed, other members of the cartel already in custody include Suleiman and Godwin Edet Mathew.
“In his statement, he claimed he was into the importation of building materials from China to Nigeria and used to sell gold in South Africa before delving into the illicit drug trade about two years ago,” he mentioned.
In the identical vein, Mr Babafemi mentioned that the top of one other cartel, Ikechukwu Okafor (aka Jantu) and his spouse, Ifeyinwa Okafor had been additionally taken into custody on October 5.
This, he mentioned, was when NDLEA operatives raided their hideout at 9 Awa Street, Ago Palace, Okota space of Lagos.
He mentioned that the NDLEA operatives recovered 27.566 kilograms of methamphetamine hid in a blue field and two sacks, prepared for export to Europe and Asia.
“Their Lexus RX350 marked ABJ 512 AY parked in the house was also seized during the operation.
“Their arrest followed weeks of intelligence gathering about the activities of the criminal network,” he mentioned.
However, on the Abuja airport, operatives on October 6 arrested a suspected drug trafficker, Nwofor Ejiogu, 45, through the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Doha.
Mr Babafemi mentioned that after physique scan revealed he ingested cocaine, he was positioned underneath commentary throughout which he allegedly excreted 75 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.653kgs.
(*2*) he mentioned.
NAN
