NDLEA Smashes Cocaine Syndicate in Lagos, Arrests Couple, Recovers N2.1bn Worth of  Drugs

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have raided the Lagos base of alleged high-profile cocaine syndicate headed by a couple, Mmadu Agbakoba and Chinwe Agbakoba  as well as their associate, Ifeoma Okoye, where large consignments of the class A drug meant for export and local distribution were recovered.

A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi said the raid carried out by a special operations unit of the agency followed months of intelligence gathering and surveillance on the syndicate notorious for packaging, distributing and trafficking of cocaine within and outside Nigeria.

Babafemi said the 54-year-old male Agbakoba was arrested at Ago palace way, Okota while his wife, Chinwe, 39, and associate, Okoye Ifeoma, 31, who doubles as their stash keeper, were nabbed at Plot 2205 Eugene Ndubisi close, Lilly Estate, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, all last Wednesday.

He said while seven parcels of cocaine with a total weight of 7.652 kilogrammes were recovered from Mmadu at Ago palace way, not less than one hundred and twenty-two (122) compressed  pellets of the same drug weighing 2.42 kilogrammes were seized from the duo of Ijeoma and Ifeoma at Lilly Estate, bringing the total seizure to 10.1 kilogrammes valued at over N2.1 billion in street value.

In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Benue state last Thursday intercepted a consignment of 350 grammes of cocaine at a check point along Enugu road, Otukpo. The illicit drug was concealed in an MP3 speaker sent as a waybill parcel. A swift follow up operation at Flight motor park in Otukpo led to the arrest of the owner, 25-year-old Odeh Anthony.

Also, NDLEA officers on a stop and search operation along Ngurore – Yola road in Adamawa state last Wednesday arrested a Chadian, Yves Ahmat Gali in a commercial bus coming from Kano to Yola. The suspect was found with a loud speaker used to conceal 20 compressed blocks, and nine plastic containers of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 5.2 kilogrammes

In Kano, operatives last Wednesday arrested a youth corps member, Yusuf Abdulrahman, 25, at Corpers Lodge, Sumaila area of the city, with 1.25 kilogrammes of Loud, while in Osun state, the head of Akarabata community in Ile-Ife, Ba’ale Ige Babatunde, 50, was last Friday July arrested with fresh cannabis plants that weighed 5 kilogrammes.

Babafemi said two suspects: Monday Ali, 49, and Jimoh Alewi, 37, were arrested when NDLEA operatives raided Ikota forest in Ifedore local government area, Ondo state where a total of 42,500 kilogrammes cannabis was destroyed on 17 hectares of farmland while 73.5 kilogrammes of same substance was recovered for the prosecution of the suspects during a five-day operation that ended last Monday.

In Abuja, the FCT, NDLEA operatives last Saturday arrested the duo of Sanusi Mamman, 28, and Usaini Ibrahim, 20, in a vehicle along Abaji- Gwagwalada with 1,132 bottles of codeine syrup; 13,540 pills of tramadol; 50,000 pills of diazepam and 59 pills of rophynol. The suspects claimed they were bringing the opioids from Onitsha, Anambra state.

Babafemi said with the same drive, commands and formations of the agency  across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

Meanwhile, while commending the officers and men of the Special Operations Unit, Osun, Benue, Ondo, Kano, and FCT Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitization activities while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to maintain the tempo.

Michael Olugbode

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