A South African national named Erasmus Jean-Pierre was apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The arrest came after an attempt to smuggle 2.6 kilograms of methamphetamine, commonly known as Mkpulu Mmiri, from Nigeria to the Middle East.
A press statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed the details of the incident. According to the statement, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) thwarted the attempt by a 29-year-old South African, Erasmus Jean-Pierre, to export 2.6 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in his luggage to the Middle East through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA Abuja, on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. The suspect was arrested, and the illicit drug was recovered.”
NDLEA operatives intercepted the suspect during the outward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Abuja to the Middle East via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A thorough search of his luggage led to the discovery of the whitish powdery illicit substance, carefully packed in various parts of his bag.
Preliminary investigations conducted by the NDLEA revealed that the suspect arrived in Lagos from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday, August 19. He then traveled to Abuja on Tuesday, August 22, and acquired the brown bag containing the drug consignment on Wednesday, right before heading to the Abuja airport for his flight out of Nigeria.
In a series of other successful operations, NDLEA officers in Gombe state recovered an abandoned Volkswagen Sharon vehicle, marked GME 76 XD, which was found to contain 373,420 pills of opioids including tramadol and diazepam. Similarly, in Ogun State, operatives raided the home of a drug dealer named Ifeanyi Orji in the Ibafo area, resulting in the recovery of 81,000 tablets of tramadol weighing 32.4 kilograms.
Further operations conducted by NDLEA operatives in Adamawa state led to the recovery of 60,000 pills of tramadol from a suspect named Ibrahim Abba, alongside 1,242.1 kilograms of skunk intercepted in Abuja.
The NDLEA’s efforts to combat drug trafficking extended to Kwara state, where operatives intercepted a commercial truck carrying 37.5 kilograms of cannabis sativa hidden among other items. In Yobe state, operatives arrested three suspects in an ash-colored Sharon Galaxy vehicle marked AKK 484 XA, discovering 133 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 62 kilograms. Additionally, in Edo state, the NDLEA apprehended Esazobor Ohioze with 54.3 kilograms of cannabis recovered from a hut, while destroying three hectares of cannabis farms in the Uzebba forest.
Moreover, the NDLEA successfully foiled attempts by transnational drug cartels to smuggle various drugs. These included 117 grams of ketamine concealed within a pair of leather male slippers destined for Indonesia, and 2.14 kilograms of skunk hidden in the walls of a local wooden drum.
Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, commended the efforts of the officers and men involved in these operations. He urged them, along with their colleagues across the country, to intensify drug supply reduction operations while balancing them with drug demand reduction activities.
