Drug cartels hit hard as NDLEA executes multi-state raids

A series of coordinated raids across seven states has led to the seizure of more than 14,440 kilograms of drugs, including cannabis, tramadol, and methamphetamine, as well as the arrest of numerous suspects linked to trafficking and distribution.

The operations, carried out in Lagos, Edo, Taraba, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Ogun, and Kwara states, form part of the NDLEA’s intensified nationwide offensive against drug cartels.

In Edo State, operatives recovered 1,902.1 kilograms of skunk from forest hideouts and vehicles in different parts of the state. Some of the seizures were made along bush paths in Orhionmwon LGA, while larger quantities were discovered in Utese forest and along the Benin-Akure expressway, where two suspects, Felix Edah and Lucky Abagha, were arrested in separate Mercedes Benz vehicles transporting hundreds of kilograms of skunk.

In Taraba State, officers apprehended 50-year-old Danjuma Tukura with 172 kilograms of cannabis and arrested another suspect, 24-year-old Wisdom Titus, with 84 kilograms.

In Adamawa State, NDLEA personnel recovered 396,000 tramadol capsules from a 50-year-old suspect, Ahmed Isyaku Nda, at the Aliyu Mustapha International Airport in Yola.

Meanwhile, 785 kilograms of cannabis were evacuated from a drug dealer’s warehouse in Nasarawa State, although the owner fled before the raid.

Operations in Lagos also yielded significant results.

Two suspects, Jamiu Kunle Kardoso and Oriyomi Waliu, were arrested in Surulere with 65.150 kilograms of Canadian Loud, while another suspect, Taofeek Moraina, was caught at Oyingbo transporting 141 kilograms of Ghana Loud.

In Kwara State, operatives intercepted a truck carrying 197 blocks of skunk and 155 cartons of rubber solution along the Ilorin–Jebba expressway.

Another bus was also stopped in Ilorin with 20 blocks of cannabis concealed in a 50-litre jerrycan.

NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Marwa commended officers across all commands involved in the operations, urging them to maintain the momentum in the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA).

He reiterated the agency’s commitment to using a balanced, intelligence-driven approach to cut down drug supply and demand across the country.