…TWO MOST WANTED DRUG KINGPINS IN NDLEA CUSTODY
EMEKA CHIDI, Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, operating at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos has apprehended a Brazilian returnee, Igwedum Uche Benson with pellets of cocaine ingested in his stomach.
The suspect was nabbed at the Lagos airport on Monday 20, June, upon his arrival on Ethiopian Airlines from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa.
It was gathered that the preliminary investigations conducted on him revealed that the suspect swallowed 50 wraps of cocaine before departing Brazil and excreted 48 pellets in Addis Ababa, where he transferred the drugs to another person.
The Director, Media and Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday that the suspect had claimed that he was unable to excrete the remaining two wraps at the hotel room in Addis Ababa.
Babafemi hinted that the suspect told his captors that before boarding his flight, he later excreted the remaining two in the aircraft restroom during the flight from Ethiopia to Lagos.
According to him, on the night of June 25, following three weeks of painstaking investigation and tracking, of a suspect, the operatives of the MMIA command also arrested a drug kingpin, Onyekachi Chukwuma Macdonald.
Babafemi said Macdonald was the baron behind attempts to export 40 parcels of Methamphetamine popularly called “Mkpuru Mmiri” to London, United Kingdom through the National Aviation Handling Company, NACHO, export shed of the Lagos airport.
“Onyekachi was arrested at Manacola Estate, Alakuko area of Lagos at the weekend, three weeks after his Mkpuru Mmiri consignment weighing 2.05kilograms was intercepted at the airport and his freight agent, Peter Christopher Anikan arrested on 7th June.
“During his interview, the suspect said he is from Ahiazu, Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State and had lived in Dubai, UAE for 10 years before returning to Nigeria in 2019.
“He stated that after his return to Nigeria he opened a phone accessories shop in Sango Otta, Ogun State but the business collapsed. He then started sending cigarettes to London and decided to conceal the illicit drug in the consignment after advice by a friend.
He explained that another cargo seized on Wednesday 22, June had Ankara and lace fabrics in which two cylindrical cellophanes containing the drug heading to Hong Kong were concealed.
“Also at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives on Friday 24th June intercepted 500,000 tablets of Tramadol 225mg packed in 10 cartons and labelled Tramaking imported from Karachi, Pakistan on Emirates Airline.
“The consignment weighing 407.60kg was seized during a joint examination with Customs and NAFDAC officials.
“Same day, a Dubai, UAE-bound passenger, Alegbeleye Taiwo was arrested at the departure hall of the MMIA with 40 ampoules of pentazocine injection. The 21-year-old suspect claims hes from Osun State.”
The statement further claimed that two kingpins behind the importation of two recent drug consignments from Canada, which were concealed in vehicle containers through the Tincan seaport in Apapa, Lagos have been arrested by NDLEA operatives.
“One of them, Gboyega Ayoola Elegbeji was arrested at his house, 14 Bakare Street, Idi Araba, Lagos on Wednesday 22nd June, for importing a 40ft container TRHU7874497 containing 33 parcels of cannabis indica (Colorado) weighing16.5kg.
“The second suspect, Sunday Joe Oyebola, (aka Otunba) was arrested on Thursday 23rd June. He is linked to the importation of a 40ft container MEDU4389887 containing four vehicles used to conceal 290 parcels weighing 145kg cannabis indica (Colorado) from Montreal, Canada.
” He had been on the run since March and had in the course of the investigation attempted to bribe officers with N10million to influence the case.” Babafemi explained.
Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), in his reaction, commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Tincan, and Imo State Commands of the Agency for the drug seizures and arrests.
According to him, those who thought they could evade the long arm of the law have no hiding place.
He encouraged the officers and men of the Agency across other formations to intensify their efforts towards achieving set goals and mandates of the NDLEA.