Drug Bust: NDLEA Intercepts Large ‘Loud’ Consignment Concealed in Loudspeakers at Lagos Airport

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a large consignment of Loud, a synthetic strong strain of cannabis, concealed in giant loudspeakers tucked in a consolidated cargo imported from New York, United States of America.

A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, revealed that when the giant wooden boxes dressed as sound speakers seized by NDLEA officers at the NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport, were opened, the sound boxes were stuffed with 60 bags of the expensive but highly sought-after psychoactive substance, Loud, weighing 33.5 kilogrammes.

Babafemi said at least, three suspects: a freight agent Akeem Afeez; logistics company manager Babalola Ayodeji Gboyega and the receiver of the consignment Taiwo Anuoluwapo have been arrested in follow-up operations between last Thursday and Friday, while Afeez was arrested at the airport, Gboyega was nabbed at his office on Allen Avenue Ikeja and Taiwo traced to his residence at 13 Ayo Babatunde Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, where he was picked on Friday.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, said in Abia, a joint raid operation between the NDLEA and men of the State Homeland Security at 23 Arochukwu street, Umuahia around 11pm last Wednesday led to the arrest of a female lawyer, Adaobi Nweke, 36; her boyfriend, Emeka Nkemefola, 36; her mother, Mrs. Ngozi Nweke, 65; Dike Okpara, 43, who is herbalist to the family; Chukwudi Abel, 33, member of the family; Amarachi Paul, 18, another member of the family and their 22-year-old salesgirl, Blessing Jonathan.

He said investigations revealed that members of the family had long been in the illicit drug business passed on to them by their deceased father, Jonathan Nweke. He noted that recovered from them as at the time of their arrest include various quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, Loud, cannabis sativa and precursor chemical with a total weight of 1.67 kilogrammes as well as N578,400 monetary exhibit.

Babafemi also disclosed that an attempt by a 25-year-old Uber driver, Joshua Henry to deliver a consignment of 26.2 grammes of Loud picked in Abuja to a customer in Keffi, Nasarawa state last Monday was thwarted by NDLEA operatives who intercepted him. In the same vein, 54-year-old Dada Adedara was last Wednesday arrested at Dan Bare area of Kano State with 468 blocks of cannabis weighing 246.4 kilogrammes. Same day, operatives in Ogun state arrested the duo of Kafayat Junaid and Sakirat Osoanu with 13 kilogrammes cannabis sativa.

In Kogi state, a suspect, Charles Chike, 45, was arrested by NDLEA operatives in a hotel in Lokoja last Friday with 290 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 116 kilogrammes. The exhibit was concealed in the boot of a blue Honda Accord car marked Abuja ABC 853 SL, which took off from somewhere in Ekiti state enroute Abuja. Not less than 227 kilogrammes of same substance was recovered from Atoshi camp, Emure -Ile, Owo local government area, Ondo State, while two suspects: John Jonathan and Emmanuel Alex were arrested.

Babafemi said operatives in Edo state acting on intelligence last Wednesday intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Lagos, in a Toyota Sienna bus marked Anambra NZM 347 ZL. The meth consignment weighing 0.966 kilogrammes was concealed inside a cassava made local food item, African salad popularly called “Abacha”. The driver of the vehicle, Afamefuna Ibeawuchi, 42, was arrested in connection with the seizure. On the same day, a team of NDLEA officers also intercepted a Peugeot 406 space wagon car driven by Akhere Fardam, 47, along Uromi road in Esan Northeast local government area. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 865 bottles of codeine; 2,600 pills of tramadol and 600 tabs of swinol and rohypnol.

In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives conducted raid operations in Kubwa area during which they arrested Tawa Wasiu, 47, and Iliya Ibrahim, 18, with 10.5 kilogrammes cannabis, 13.5 grammes of diazepam and 2.9 grammes of tramadol tablets. Another suspect, Yaro Bala, 27, was arrested on Thursday 15th Feb. with 50.5 kilogrammes cannabis during a stop and search operation along Abaji/Abuja highway on his way from Auchi Edo state to Paiko, Niger State.

He added that various commands of the agency across the country
continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in the past week.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) while commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Abia, Nasarawa, Edo, Kogi, Kano, Ogun, Ondo and FCT commands of the agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures thus creating a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

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