The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted cocaine hidden inside lipsticks and a property title document bound for the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. The NDLEA, in a statement on Sunday, said its operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation made the discovery during a routine check at a logistics company in Lagos on Thursday.
According to the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, 420 grams of cocaine were concealed in 84 factory-fitted female lipsticks headed to the UK, while another 280 grams were found hidden inside a Certificate of Occupancy being sent to Saudi Arabia.
In a separate operation, the agency arrested a suspected drug kingpin, Ajetsibo Emami, also known as ‘Warri Kinsman,’ during a raid in Ikeja, Lagos, on June 28, leading to the seizure of 414.2kg of Canadian Loud packed in 681 pouches within 24 jumbo bags. Three of his alleged accomplices were also arrested during the operation.
In Lagos, a family was busted for allegedly running a drug distribution network. The father, Ajah Johnson; his wife, Rosemary; their daughters, Stella and Ngozi; and a family friend, Okoro Elijah, were taken into custody. The family was initially arrested on June 13 with 277.5kg of skunk, but further intelligence led operatives to recover an additional 231kg of the substance during a raid on July 1, resulting in the arrest of the daughters and the family friend.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted Aburemi Hysent on July 2 while he attempted to smuggle 7,660 tramadol pills hidden inside food items bound for Italy. The suspect confessed that he was promised €800 for delivering the drugs.
On July 4, operatives at the airport also intercepted 52 suspected counterfeit travellers’ cheques worth 17.7 million Australian dollars, hidden in children’s books en route to Malaysia via Istanbul. The freight agent, Bolarinwa Saheed, was arrested and handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.
At the Seme border in Lagos on July 5, NDLEA officers recovered 359kg of skunk hidden in the Baba-Pupa area, while on the same day, 10,000 tramadol pills and 1.05kg of Colorado were seized along the Okene-Lokoja highway, leading to follow-up arrests at Jabi Park, Abuja.
Between July 1 and 3, NDLEA operatives in Osun State carried out multiple operations in Osogbo and Ile-Ife, seizing over 62,000 pills and ampoules of opioids. A 9.67-hectare cannabis farm was also destroyed in Ikaka forest, Oke-Ila, with seven suspects arrested and 24,000kg of cannabis destroyed.
Other operations across the country led to the recovery of 167kg of skunk in Borno, 452kg of drugs along the Zaria-Kano Road, 11,000 tramadol pills from a suspect in Kaduna, and 4,800 pills from a 62-year-old man in Sokoto. In Kebbi, operatives seized 312kg of skunk and 10,000 diazepam tablets during a raid in Yauri, while in Taraba, nearly 50,000 tramadol capsules were recovered from two suspects.
In Edo State, a suspect, Alaba Monday, was arrested with 115kg of skunk, while three others were apprehended on a two-hectare cannabis farm. In Cross River, a 78-year-old man and others were arrested with various quantities of skunk and tramadol in Obubra LGA.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying its crackdown on drug trafficking networks across the country to curb the circulation of illicit drugs and safeguard communities.
