NDLEA Intercepts China-Bound Businesswoman with Cocaine, Seizes N12.3bn Cannabis Consignment at Lagos Port
Oru Leonard
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 7.5 kilograms of cocaine to Beijing, China.
According to the agency, the suspect, who claimed she regularly travelled to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria, was arrested on June 21 after operatives acted on credible intelligence. A search of her luggage uncovered four large parcels of cocaine concealed in a professionally constructed false bottom.
In a separate operation, the NDLEA recorded one of its biggest seizures of the year after intercepting 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, valued at over N12.3 billion, during a joint examination of a 40-foot container at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The agency said the container had been under surveillance for more than four weeks after it was traced from Toronto, Canada, through multiple international transit points before arriving in Lagos.
Meanwhile, operatives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), working with counterparts in Anambra State, dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate that allegedly plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers at motor parks.
The operation began with the interception of a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi to Abuja, where officers recovered a package containing suspected methamphetamine weighing 467.7 grams. Investigations led to the arrest of the intended recipient, bus loaders, the driver and the alleged owner of the illicit consignment.
In another intelligence-led operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos, while attempting to transport 209.5 kilograms of Scottish Loud to Enugu.
The agency also arrested two Beninese nationals, Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19, alongside Nigerian suspect Jackson ThankGod after intercepting a truck conveying 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment of the vehicle along the Mile 2 corridor in Lagos.
Similarly, Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo were arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while transporting 118 kilograms of skunk concealed among legitimate goods destined for Onitsha, Anambra State.
In Amukoko, Lagos, operatives arrested Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, after recovering 28.8 kilograms of skunk. Investigations revealed that Helen allegedly used Rashidat’s residence as a storage point before distributing the drugs to customers.
Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitisation programmes in schools and communities across Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi and Enugu states.
Commending officers involved in the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the agency’s commands for sustaining the fight against drug trafficking while intensifying public awareness campaigns, urging them to remain steadfast in their efforts.
