NDLEA seizes N4.7bn cocaine in Abia, arrests siblings

The officers of the Special Operation Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized cocaine and methamphetamine consignments worth over N4.1 billion in Aba, Abia state.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

Babafemi noted that the special operation conducted on Thursday, June 13, and Friday, June 14, at 3B, Boundary Avenue in Aba and a residence along Ohia road, Ohia, Abia State followed months of intelligence gathering, leading to the arrest of the ring leaders, 49-year-old Kelechi Monday Nwaobasi and his 50-year-old elder sister, Chinwe Rose Nwaobasi.

He noted that 20.76 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine were recovered from the suspects.

Babafemi disclosed that the NDLEA operatives in Lagos State also uncovered an expansive warehouse stocked with a large consignment of codeine-based syrup, located at Comfort Oboh area of Kirikiri, where four persons connected with the importation and distribution of the opioid were arrested during an intelligence-led raid on the facility.

NDLEA arrests 20-year-old woman for drug dealing, nabs 9 in Abuja

Those arrested included Kingsley Amanambu Obumneke, 38; Emeka Emmanuel, 48; Bornaventure Ugochukwu, 59; and Martin Dike, 56.

The NDLEA spokesperson said 82,000 bottles of the opioid worth more than N600 million in street value, Toyota Tacuma truck, and two buses used for distributing the substance were recovered from the premises on Monday, June 10, when anti-narcotic officers conducted the operation.

He added that the NDLEA operatives, on Wednesday, June 12, intercepted another suspect, Ibrahim Abdulhamid, with 29,100 pills of tramadol and other opioids as well as 3.9 litres of codeine syrup at Alaba Suru in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Babafemi stated that 230,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and 200mg were recovered from the duo of Yasir Rabi’u and Abubakar Ado, who are major distributors of illicit drugs in Kano and Jigawa States, when they were arrested on Monday, June 10,  in the Gadar Tamburawa area of Kano.

The Star