Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have blocked plans to export tramadol, ecstasy MDMA and cannabis to Milan, Italy and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said it has also seized 203, 879 tablets of various pharmaceutical opioids and illicit substances in raids across Abia, Kaduna, Yobe and Kogi States.
The agency also arrested five members of a syndicate, which conducts fake recruitment into security agencies, in coordinated operations in Zamfara, Kebbi and Bauchi States.
The leader of the gang, Yakubu Sani was first arrested in Gusau, Zamfara State. He is alleged to have issued fake NDLEA employment letters and identity cards to unsuspecting members of the public for N400, 000 per person.
A follow-up operation in Zuru, Kebbi State led to the arrest of another gang member, Ibrahim Isah, while three others; Dahiru Limanchi, Gambo Danladi and Umar Abubakar were nabbed in Bauchi State.
Items recovered from them include a fake NDLEA ID card; NDLEA guarantor form; INEC offer of appointment letter; Nigerian Customs Special Replacement Form and appointment letter; Nigerian Correctional Service Replacement Form; Credentials of some applicants; receipts and passport photos; five sim packs and one MTN SIM card.
A statement by Babafemi on Sunday also revealed that a female passenger, Odia Efe, was arrested on Monday, May 9 while trying to board Royal Air Moroc flight from the Lagos airport, to Milan, Italy, via Casablanca, with 1000 tablets of tramadol 200mg concealed in food items.
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Five days after, Friday, May 13, a freight agent, Kareem Ibrahim, was also arrested at the SAHCO cargo shed of the airport for attempting to export food items, with blocks of cannabis weighing 6.65kg and 24grams of ecstasy drug, MDMA to Dubai in UAE, neatly concealed in them.
In Abia, three trucks loaded with drugs coming from Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra were intercepted in Aba, Abia State.
A search, according to the statement, on Wednesday, May 11, led to the recovery of 67,100 tablets/capsules of tramadol and 12,650 ampules of pentazocine, morphine and dopamine.
The NDLEA operatives in Kaduna also arrested a notorious drug dealer, Shehu Kabiru a.k.a Dan-Zaira, wanted by the Kastina command of the agency for jumping bail.
Various drugs, including 45,000 tablets of Diazepam weighing 41.5kg; 50,000 tablets of Exol, weighing 15.6kg; 1,500 tablets of Rohypnol weighing 700 grams and 300 bottles of codeine weighing 41.5kg, were recovered from him.
In Yobe, 7,029 tablets of tramadol, D5, and Exol as well as 1.5kg cannabis were recovered from a drug dealer, Ibrahim Yakubu, when his hideout was raided in Unguru town on Sunday, May 8 while in Rivers State, one Chekiri Obomanu was arrested at Eleme area on Wednesday, May 11 with 207.2kg cannabis.
The statement also said over 19,600 tablets of tramadol coming from Onitsha, Anambra State to Abuja were intercepted and recovered along Okene/Abuja highway on Wednesday, May 11 by NDLEA operatives in Kogi State.
