The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Nwankwo Innocent, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.55kg of cocaine out of Nigeria to India.
Nwankwo, a marble dealer based in Lagos, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal II of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi.
According to the NDLEA, the cocaine was concealed inside the walls and railings of his travelling bag.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrest in a statement on Sunday.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that he sold his marble business and other assets to raise ₦23 million to purchase the cocaine. He allegedly expected to sell the consignment in India for up to ₦100 million.
NDLEA said the arrest was part of a series of drug-related operations carried out across several states between August 7 and 14.
In Lagos, operatives raided a warehouse in the Ago Palace area of Okota, recovering 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at more than ₦2.6 billion.
The agency also arrested a suspected drug kingpin, 55-year-old Shoremi Kayode, during a raid on his residence in Ipaja. Officers recovered 324kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with an estimated street value of ₦972 million. Two vehicles, a Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota Corolla, were also seized.
In Kwara State, NDLEA officers arrested two suspects, Abubakar Adamu, 50, and Bilyaminu Nuhu, 30, with 55.96kg of skunk. Another operation along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway resulted in the seizure of 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol from two suspects.
The agency also reported significant seizures in Delta, Plateau, Kano, Edo and Oyo states, including tramadol, codeine syrup, rohypnol, diazepam, pentazocine, methamphetamine, cocaine and synthetic cannabis.
In Kano, six suspects were arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road, with NDLEA recovering 728,958 pills of various opioids, 360g of cocaine, 99.8g of methamphetamine, codeine syrup and 2.7kg of Loud, another synthetic cannabis strain.
NDLEA operatives in Kano also recovered 171 blocks of skunk weighing 106.8kg during a raid in Zawaciki Gida Dubu, Kumbotso Local Government Area.
In Edo State, officers destroyed 4,628.97kg of skunk cultivated on two cannabis farms covering about 1.85 hectares in the Ugboku/Igbanke forest area of Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
The agency said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign also continued during the week, with sensitisation programmes conducted in schools and communities across the country.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended officers across the affected commands for their efforts in disrupting the supply and demand of illicit drugs.
He urged personnel nationwide to maintain the momentum in the agency’s fight against drug trafficking and abuse.
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