NDLEA Arrests S’African Woman with 36.65kg Cocaine, US-Based Grandmother with Cannabis
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 34-year-old South African woman with 36.65 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, and a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother with 9.45kg of high-grade cannabis, popularly known as loud, allegedly imported from the United States.
The agency also arrested several suspects and seized large consignments of illicit drugs, including cannabis, tramadol, codeine syrup, diazepam and other controlled substances, in coordinated operations across Kano, Lagos, Delta, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba and Oyo states.
The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, the South African suspect, identified as Qhina Beauty, was arrested on October 7 at the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha.
A search of her two travel bags reportedly uncovered 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg, wrapped in cellophane tape, mixed with dried pepper and concealed in seven separate parcels.
During interrogation, Qhina allegedly told investigators that she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 specifically to collect the consignment. She claimed she had been recruited by another South African woman who promised to pay her 20,000 rand upon successful delivery.
She also reportedly identified two other alleged members of the trafficking network, one based in the United States and another, a Lagos-based car dealer.
Further investigations led to the arrest of 46-year-old Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe on October 14 at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, following surveillance at his residence in Shasha.
The agency said Umunnakwe admitted receiving Qhina at the airport, accommodating her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin and subsequently moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her planned departure.
In a separate operation on October 21, NDLEA operatives arrested Anetor Gloria Ubong, a 62-year-old Nigerian-American realtor based in Richmond, Texas, upon her arrival from Houston aboard a United Airlines flight.
A search of her two checked-in boxes allegedly revealed 18 parcels of loud weighing 9.45kg, concealed with gift-wrapping paper inside a box.
Ubong, who holds Nigerian and American passports, reportedly claimed that her daughter and the daughter’s future brother-in-law had delivered the package to her home in the United States for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, identified as Jibola.
Meanwhile, an NDLEA special operations unit arrested 41-year-old Eletu Rasheedat in the Eti-Osa area of Lagos on October 23. The operation led to the recovery of 5,820 diazepam pills, 780 tramadol tablets, 3.7kg of skunk cannabis and 230.25 litres of skuchies, a locally produced alcoholic mixture sometimes infused with psychoactive substances.
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In Delta State, operatives arrested 51-year-old Peter Ugochukwu in Warri and recovered a substantial quantity of pharmaceutical opioids and other controlled substances. The exhibits included 29,350 tramadol capsules, 6,620 tablets of tramadol 200mg, 4,116 bottles of codeine syrup, 11,340 Rohypnol tablets, 3,500 diazepam tablets, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 200 ampoules of diazepam injection, alongside quantities of tramadol 225mg, Molly and Cocodamol.
The suspect was transferred to the agency alongside a white Hummer bus by the Nigeria Police Force in Delta State.
In another operation in Warri, a 46-year-old physically challenged woman, Helen Bakporo Samson, was arrested at Enhere Junction on October 19 with 6kg of skunk cannabis.
In Ibadan, Oyo State, operatives arrested 41-year-old Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi on October 19 after he allegedly evaded arrest following the seizure of 197.8kg of cannabis from his residence on September 16.
Elsewhere, a raid in the Gerawa area of Kano State on October 22 led to the arrest of 30-year-old Murtala Lawan and the seizure of 159 blocks of cannabis weighing 97.2kg.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted 39-year-old Raiyanu Misa at the Lankaviri checkpoint in Yorro Local Government Area on October 23, recovering 95 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 60.175kg. On the same day, the police handed over a suspect arrested at Dakka village in Bali Local Government Area, alongside 112 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 81.49kg.
In Niger State, 26-year-old Emmanuel Ekene was arrested on October 19 along the Sabo-Kainji Road in Borgu Local Government Area with 64,000 opioid pills, including tramadol and diazepam.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives arrested 45-year-old Jamilu Mustapha, also known as Last Card, at Nasaru Town in Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi State on October 21. The operation resulted in the seizure of 379kg of cannabis packed in seven large sacks.
In Ondo State, intelligence-led operatives raided a farm at Board-Ala in Akure South Local Government Area on October 20 and recovered 56 abandoned bags of cannabis weighing 583kg.
The agency also destroyed two cannabis farms in Ugbada Forest, Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, on October 18. The farms had an estimated yield of 2,023.14kg of cannabis. Operatives reportedly burnt 450kg of processed cannabis at the site and recovered another 97kg as exhibits.
A 42-year-old suspect, Mary Edokhai, was also arrested at Ewe community in Owan West with 35kg of cannabis.
Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said its commands and formations sustained public sensitisation activities under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, reaching students and staff of schools across several states, including Oyo, Niger, Ogun, Kano, Enugu, Anambra and Osun.
The agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the MMIA, Kano, Lagos, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Oyo and Delta commands for their vigilance, professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
Marwa urged personnel across the country to sustain the momentum in the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse.
By PRNigeria
