A 48-year-old Lagos businessman, Nwankwo Onyebuchi, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with 1.55kg of cocaine allegedly concealed inside the walls and railings of his luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Onyebuchi, who deals in marble, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal II while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi, India. NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said a search of his checked-in luggage revealed the cocaine factory-fitted into the bag.
The agency said the suspect confessed that he had sold his marble business and other assets to raise N23 million to buy the consignment. He allegedly expected to sell the cocaine in India for as much as N100 million.
Babafemi said the case showed the financial risks and desperation involved in the illegal drug trade, adding that Onyebuchi remained in NDLEA custody pending prosecution.
The agency also uncovered a major stockpile of codeine-based syrup in a warehouse inside a residential compound at 20 Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace, Okota, Lagos. NDLEA operatives recovered 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of the controlled substance, with an estimated value of more than N2.6 billion, during operations between August 7 and 8.
In another Lagos operation, officers raided the residence of a 55-year-old alleged drug kingpin, Shoremi Kayode, at Ipaja Estate on August 14. The raid reportedly produced 324kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, valued at about N972 million, alongside a Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota Corolla.
The agency also reported significant seizures across Kwara, Oyo, Delta, Plateau, Kano and Edo states. Among the recoveries were hundreds of thousands of tramadol pills and other opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, cannabis, codeine syrup, pentazocine and diazepam. In Edo, NDLEA officers destroyed more than 4.6 tonnes of skunk from two cannabis farms covering about 1.85 hectares and arrested suspects linked to the operations.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended personnel involved in the operations, particularly officers in Lagos, Kano, Kwara, Edo, Plateau, Oyo and Delta. He said the agency would continue combining drug supply reduction operations with efforts aimed at preventing drug abuse and reducing demand.
