intercepts $2.5m from money launderers
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, on Tuesday, seized narcotic drugs weighing 455.215kg and estimated at N2.8 billion.
In addition, $2.5 million cash was equally intercepted while 75 suspected drug traffickers and money launderers were arrested in connection with the seizures.
According to Mitchel Ofoyeju, NDLEA spokesman, the arrested persons include 62 males and 13 females.
He said the intercepted money included $2.1 million seized from a bureau de change operator, which had been transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
Fifteen persons, according to him, were arrested on Emirates Airline being the most preferred flight for those apprehended. Qatar Airways had 11 arrests; Ethiopian Airline followed closely with eight arrests and Etihad Airways seven arrests.
Hamza Umar, NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, gave a breakdown of the seized drugs, from January to June 2015, as follows: “The seized drugs include cannabis sativa 138.304kg, ephedrine 133kg, methamphetamine 93.85kg, cocaine 43.426kg, and tramadol 42.025kg. We also seized $2.5 million cash within the period. The money includes the $2.1 million seized from one Mr. Ibiteye John Bamidele, who is a bureau de change operator, as well as other financial seizures.”
The commander noted that several modes of concealment adopted by the suspects were detected by the Agency.
“22 suspects were arrested for ingesting drugs, 33 were caught with drugs packed inside their luggage, while six others were found to have packed drugs on their bodies all in a bid to evade arrest.
“39 of the suspects were caught during outward screening attempting to smuggle drugs out of the country. Seven among them were going to China, where drug trafficking attracts death penalty. Twenty-eight others were apprehended during inward screening operations with 23 of them coming from Brazil,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ahmadu Giade, chairman of the anti-narcotic Agency, said illicit drug proceeds were highly injurious to the economy and that Nigeria could not afford to handle drug trafficking with kid gloves.
“Illicit funds generated by drug trafficking are colossal. Such proceeds are unaccounted for and constitute a high risk in the coffers of drug syndicates, which empowers them to sustain their inimical acts. As a result, we must continue to confront drug trafficking cartels with every sense of seriousness by deploying available resources at our disposal,” he said.
The NDLEA boss assured Nigerians that the Agency was working very hard to dismantle more drug syndicates.
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