The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully dismantled a drug syndicate operating in Nigeria, South Africa, and Thailand, resulting in the arrest of five members and the seizure of a large quantity of illicit drugs. The agency's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement shared on the agency's website.
The syndicate, which utilized false suitcase bottoms and gas tankers to conceal drugs, was tracked down by NDLEA operatives in Lagos, Abia, and Anambra states. In one operation, a gas tanker carrying 4,752kg of cannabis sativa was intercepted, and four suspects were arrested.
The unraveling of the syndicate began with the arrival of four big suitcases at the NAHCO import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on an Air Peace airline flight from Johannesburg, South Africa. Following days of close monitoring and investigation, the first suspect, Umeh Peter, was arrested while attempting to pick up two suitcases containing Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
Another member of the syndicate, Chiwendu Ugbe, was arrested in Anambra State while attempting to collect drug parcels sent by her husband from South Africa. Additional arrests were made in Lagos, Abia, and Anambra states, leading to the dismantling of the syndicate.
In separate operations, NDLEA operatives made significant arrests and seizures, including the interception of a gas tanker on the Abuja-Abaji highway carrying 4,752kg of cannabis sativa hidden in the tank. Other operations resulted in the arrest of suspects with large quantities of cannabis, codeine syrup, tramadol, and cocaine in various states across the country.
