The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Sunday, said it has arrested a 60-year-old grandmother and a pregnant woman over 5,527.15 kilograms of methamphetamine and cannabis sativa, recovered by the agency.
A statement signed by Femi Babafemi, the agency’s spokesman, said it also recovered 132,090 tablets of tramadol and 2,000 bottles of codeine, across five states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in the past week.
“The grandma, Ibinosun Sandra Esther was arrested in Ibadan, Oyo State in a follow-up operation following the seizure of 5.5kg Loud variant of cannabis imported into the country from South Africa.
The consignment, according to the NDLEA, was sent to her by her daughter and was concealed in two giant speakers as part of a consolidated cargo that arrived at the NAHCO import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos on board an Airpeace Airline flight.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives also on Saturday, November 26 intercepted 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in custard tins packed among cosmetics and foodstuffs going to Brazil via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight.
The NDLEA said a cargo agent, Salako Fausat who allegedly brought the bag containing the illicit drug to the airport and an intending passenger to Brazil, Anyanwu Christian who was to travel with the consignment were promptly arrested.
“Another attempt by a freight agent, Adebisi Aina Hafsat to export 3,000 tablets of tramadol concealed in motor spare parts to Banjul, Gambia through the NAHCO export shed was equally thwarted by operatives who seized the consignment and arrested her on Monday, November 28, this year.
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According to the NDLEA, a follow up operation to the Ebute-Meta area of Lagos the following day, Tuesday, November 29 led to the arrest of the actual owner, Afam Stanley, who is a spare parts seller.
This was followed by the seizure of 100,000 tablets of Royal brand of Tramadol 200mg with a gross weight of 68.90 kilograms imported from Karachi, Pakistan on Ethiopian Airlines at the SAHCO import shed.
“In Abuja, operatives stormed the warehouse of a notorious drug lord and an ex-convict, Ibrahim Momoh, alias ‘Ibrahim Bendel’ who escaped from prison custody to return to his criminal trade and recovered 81 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 1,278kgs.
“Though the fleeing drug dealer is still at large and is wanted by the Agency, his warehouse keeper, 55-year-old Ghanaian, Richard Forson Gordon was arrested.
Babafemi disclosed that Ibrahim Momoh was first arrested on November 27, 2014 with the same substance weighing 385.1kgs, prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to seven and a half years in prison on April 22, 2020 but escaped from jail after three months.
“Meanwhile, no fewer than 2,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were seized in a commercial bus by operatives on Friday, December 2 along Lokoja-Abuja expressway.
In Rivers State, operatives on Saturday, December 3 arrested a 29-year-old pregnant woman, Kate Ibinabo with 34.4kgs cannabis sativa in Okrika area of the state, but was granted an administrative bail, on the orders of the chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Buba Marwa, pending when she’s delivered of her baby.
In Ondo State, 241 bags of the psychoactive substance with a gross weight of 3,133kg were recovered from a building at Ilale Cashew, Ehinogbe, Owo, on Tuesday, November 29, at least, 507.9kgs of cannabis were also seized during a raid at the hideout of a fleeing drug dealer in Mushin area of Lagos on Thursday, December 1, 2022.
