NDLEA Arrests Three Wanted Drug Kingpins, Intercepts Oman-Bound Drug Shipment

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested three members of an organised criminal organisation that specialises in illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Europe, and America more than two months after they were declared wanted.

Their arrest followed the recent seizure of the single largest consignment of heroin at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the anti-narcotics agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, a total of 51.9 kilogrammes of heroin were recovered from members of the drug cartel during an operation that began on February 10th, 2024 at the SAHCO Import Shed of the Lagos Airport Cargo Terminal.

He recalled that the consignment was concealed in 15 cartons of 2300-watt metal cutting machines, with no less than 45 blocks of the illicit substance weighing 49.70 kilogrammes recovered from the equipment, and an additional 2.2 kilogrammes seized at the syndicate’s warehouse in Lagos’ Ayobo area.

He stated that while the agency obtained an interim forfeiture court order on hotels, mansions, vehicles, and funds traced to syndicate members after apprehending four of them, a manhunt was also launched for those who went underground.

He stated that the effort paid off last Friday, when two of the wanted kingpins, Onyinyechi Igbokwuputa and Frankline Uzochukwu, were apprehended in Lagos and Awka, Anambra state, respectively, with another wanted member of the syndicate, Osita Obinna, apprehended in Lagos.

According to Babafemi, NDLEA officers foiled a suspect, Iheakara Ifeanyichukwu,’s attempt to export a drug consignment through Terminal 2 of Lagos Airport to Muscat, Oman via Ethiopian Airlines flight last Thursday. When his luggage was searched, 20 big parcels of cannabis weighing 9.80 kilogrammes were discovered concealed in his bag.

Iheakara, who lives in Muscat, Oman and returned to Nigeria on 1st April, in his statement confessed he was hired to courier the drug with an agreement to get paid N1.2 million upon successful delivery in Oman.

Babafemi revealed that In Adamawa state, NDLEA operatives last Saturday intercepted a Peugeot car driven by Dahiru Mohammed at Girei on his way to Mubi with 1,250,000 pills of opioids weighing 450 kilogrammes. The operatives had earlier intercepted along Ngurore -Yola road a J5 bus marked AAA790XV loaded with motor spare parts from Onitsha, Anambra State, with consignments of codeine syrup and tramadol concealed in-between the motor parts. A follow up operation led to the arrest of the recipient, Jairus Nwanchor at Jambutu motor park .

He said three suspects: Beriakuma Chinrdu, 40; Okpor Isaac, 68, and Daniel Onyeachom, 42, were last Saturday arrested at Amarata,Yenagoa, Bayelsa state in connection with the seizure of 69 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 36 kilogrammes and concealed in a false compartment of a Toyota Picnic car marked MUS 711 DH they were travelling in. This is even as NDLEA operatives in Imo state last Thursday arrested Kingsley Omeje, 41, at Amajeke, Owerri while he was taking delivery of 49 bottles of codeine syrup he ordered.

In Ondo state, NDLEA operatives raided the Oloro camp in Ogbese, Akure North local government area, arresting Linus Odogwu, 50, and destroying 25,000 kilogrammes of cannabis on 10 hectares of farmland while recovering 89.5 kilogrammes of the same substance. Three other suspects: David Ekepenyoung, 22; Oluwaseun Folorunso, 23; and Rabiu Musa, 32, were nabbed in other parts of the state in connection to different seizures totaling 77 kilogrammes .

Babafemi said NDLEA commands across the country intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy lectures.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), while commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Ondo, and Imo commands of the agency for their balanced efforts in the past week, also praised their counterparts across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures, thereby creating parity between their drug supply and drug demand reduction efforts.