The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has raided an 80-room new hotel used as cover for distributing illicit substances in Victoria Island, Lagos, and recovered 598 bags of Canadian Loud.
In a statement, NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi disclosed that the drugs recovered had a total weight of 417.3 kilogrammes and a street value of N1.04 billion.
Babafemi said that three suspects – Eze Ayitu, Ofuokwu Samuel, and Emmanuel Ameh – were arrested during the operation at the five-storey hotel between Friday, April 25 and Saturday, April 26. He further added that two other suspects, Noble Philip and his partner Kenneth are currently at large.
Items suspected to be proceeds of illicit drug trade recovered from the premises include a Toyota Prado Land Cruiser Jeep (Lagos AKD 472 OZ) and a Toyota Sienna vehicle (Lagos KJA 79 HJ).
Others are a Volkswagen Delivery Van (Lagos AAA 525 JE); a Kia Ceranto car (Lagos BDG 860 GQ); a Grand Caravan Dodge (Lagos APP 847 YF); 74 new TV sets; 10 used TV sets; and 13 refrigerators.
In another major interdiction in Jigawa, with a follow-up operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence seized consignments of opioids.
Babafemi stated that the consignments were being moved from Kano to Niger Republic and Yobe through Jigawa.
He noted that the psychoactive substances were being transported in a Toyota Sienna vehicle marked ABJ 182 NW when anti-narcotic officers on patrol intercepted the vehicle. Two suspects, Abba Ibrahim, 28, and Shuaibu Umar, were apprehended.
Recovered from the Sienna vehicle were 200,000 pills of tramadol 250mg and 217,500 capsules of pregabalin.
A swift follow-up operation in Kano led to the arrest of the supplier, 41-year-old Jamilu Muhammad, at his residence located at Mil Tara, Layin Technical area of Kano.
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Also, an additional 1,584,000 pills of tramadol 250mg, stacked inside a Nissan 18-seater bus marked DAL 372 XA and a room in his house, were discovered and evacuated.
Babafemi said the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, commended the officers and men of the Lagos, Kano, and Jigawa commands for their efforts in the arrests and seizures.
Marwa also praised their counterparts in all commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
NAN
