The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has intercepted consignments of illicit drugs concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs and female clothes heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Democratic Republic of Congo the at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja and a courier company in Lagos.
Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement yesterday, said at least, two suspects linked to attempts to export the illicit substances have already been taken into custody.
Babafemi said one of them, a cargo agent Boladale Riliwan was arrested on October 7th following the discovery of 15 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in 10 pieces of giant rechargeable electrical bulbs he presented in a carton for airfreight to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the export shed of the Lagos airport.
He said another suspect in custody is Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, 48, who is a UK-based Public Health Assistant.
According to the statement, she was arrested on last Sunday at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the MMIA following the discovery of frozen snails used to conceal 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg in her luggage while heading to Manchester, United Kingdom, on a Qatar Airways flight.
Babafemi said an attempt by another syndicate to export 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothes going to the United States was also thwarted by NDLEA officers at a courier company in Lagos on Thursday.
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The agency’s spokesman said in Adamawa, a suspect Bello Buba was intercepted at an NDLEA check point in Namtari, Yola South Local government with 38,270 pills of tramadol concealed in the spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of his Honda Civic car he drove all the way from Benin Republic to smuggle the consignment into Nigeria last Sunday.
He said: ”He said not less than 53,250 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on 21.3 hectares of cannabis farm in Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti state, with 70 bags of the same psychoactive substance weighing 1,140kg recovered by NDLEA operatives during an operation that lasted between Sunday and Monday.
“Suspects arrested include: Matthew Emmanuel, 26; James Moses, 27; and Israel Samuel, 20. This followed the destruction of 17,400kg skunk on 6.96 hectares of plantation by NDLEA operatives at Aponmu forest reserve, Akure, Ondo state on Sunday.
“In Oyo state, Aliyu Muhammed, 50; Babarinde Segun,32; Ogunbiyi Sanjo, 30; and Ajani Oluro,30, were nabbed with 596kg skunk at Apata-Ako, Igboora, while Jacob Afolabi, 30, and Salako Oluwatobi, 25, were arrested with 273kg of same substance at Odo-Oyan, Igangan, on Thursday.
“While Joseph Andrew was arrested in possession of 88kg skunk on Wednesday at Ona – Imeko, Ogun State, another suspect, Festus Udoh, 42, was nabbed with 13,000 pills of opioids along Onitsha- Owerri road, Imo State. In same vein, a total of 74.5kg skunk was recovered from the store of a suspect Joseph Chukwujamaa at Umuogbo – Agu village, Enugu State on Saturday.
“In Lagos, no fewer than 11 bags of skunk weighing 117kg were recovered from the base of a suspect Ramoni Olukowi in Mushin area on Saturday while a total of 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in a container earlier watch-listed by NDLEA coming from India during a joint examination of the shipment with men of Customs service and other security agencies at the Apapa port on Tuesday…”