… Nabs Thailand Returnee With N3.1 Billion Worth Of Heroin
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted opioids with combined monetary worth over N22. 7 Billion.
It Intercepted a total of 32,607,900 pills of tramadol worth N12,577,000,000 and 1,451,994 bottles of codeine-based syrup with a street value of N10,163,958,000) at the Lekki Deep Seaport, Apapa seaport in Lagos and Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers state.
Though, the names of those associated with the importation of the drugs were not disclosed, the combined monetary value of the seized opioids comes to N22,740,958,000 according to a statement by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
“The illicit consignments were seized from containers watch listed by NDLEA based on intelligence and processed for 100 percent joint examination with men of the Nigeria Customs and other security agencies at the three seaports between Monday 7th and Friday 11th October 2024”, he stated.
Meanwhile, he disclosed that in a fresh wave of interdiction operations targeting transnational drug cartels, operatives of the NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos have arrested a Thailand returnee Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter for importing 13.30 kilograms of heroin worth over N3.192billion.
He said explained that Oguejiofor was arrested on Monday 7th October 2024 while attempting to smuggle out of the airport the illicit drug concealed in six backpacks and then packed into two big suitcases.
According to him, “The 29-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra state, had left Thailand on 3rd October on Qatar Airways flight and stopped over in Doha where he spent two days before heading to Lagos while his luggage was routed to Accra, Ghana, his original destination.
“After arriving Lagos on the 5th October, he contacted the airline to reroute his luggage to Nigeria so that he can pick them up as rush bags in a bit to beat security checks.
“However, NDLEA officers intercepted him at the point of exit. A search of his two suitcases revealed three empty backpacks in each box with a large parcel of heroin neatly sewn to all the six backpacks. The six parcels were subsequently recovered with a gross weight of 13.30kg.
“In his statement, Oguejiofor claimed he was hired for a fee of $7,000 upon successful delivery of the parcels. He said he was to deliver two parcels in Lagos and the other four parcels in Accra, Ghana.”
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Anambra on Saturday 12th October arrested a suspect, Okelue Chidera, 29, with 50,000 tablets of tramadol 200mg at Upper Iweka, Onitsha.
Also, in Edo state, operatives raided a cannabis transit and loading point at Aviose, Owan West LGA where 70 bags of the psychoactive substance weighing 1,050kg were recovered, while a suspect Monday Akele, 38, was arrested on Friday 11th October in another raid at Owan Village, Ovia North East L GA where 110kg of same substance was seized.
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