The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized a large methamphetamine shipment, neatly hidden in powdered custard containers, which was intercepted while on its way to London, United Kingdom. The drug was being flown out of Nigeria’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos when the 30.10 kg consignment, worth N567 million, was detected and confiscated. This seizure was made possible by the NDLEA’s Special Area Task Force.
Nwobodo Chidiebere, a freight agent, andChioma LucyAkuta, a female suspect, were apprehended alongside the drug lord, Charles Chinedu Ezeh. He was taken into custody at the Sotel Suites in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, following a well-coordinated follow-up operation by the NDLEA. Mr. Ezeh reportedly said that he trades in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria, but investigations revealed that he fled to his home country in December 2022, after being implicated in a drug-related offence in London, where he resided with his wife and children. He has continued to deny his involvement in the shipment.
Even though Mr. Ezeh claims to have been staying in hotels since his arrival in the country, the NDLEA search led to the discovery of his Lekki mansion, located at No. 1 Hawawu Abikan Street. A thorough search of the premises led to the discovery of his travel and property documents, among other items.
In another operation, the NDLEA arrested a notorious drug dealer, Prince Ikechukwu Uzoma, aged 32, on May 15, in the Mubi area of Adamawa State, with a kilogram of skunk. The accused was previously arrested and convicted of the same crime. He received a six-month jail term in 2017 and was sent to prison again for two years in 2019 for the same offence.
Also, on May 17, the NDLEA stopped a truck in Mubi, following which Faisal Mohammed, aged 27, was arrested, and 2,376 sachets of tramadol, containing 23,760 pills, were found concealed in three blue rubber cans that the trafficker hid under the body of the trailer. The suspect was caught attempting to transport these opioids to Cameroon.
The NDLEA continues to be at the forefront of the relentless war on drug trafficking and the use of narcotics within Nigeria, and the agency has said it will pursue disciplinary action in cases where people or organisations are found to enable or benefit from drug-related activities.
