Drug baroness, 4 Lagos ‘big boys’ nabbed as NDLEA busts 3 syndicates

Drug baroness, 4 Lagos ‘big boys’ nabbed as NDLEA busts 3 syndicates

Three major illicit drug syndicates were taken down by operatives of a special unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in intelligence-led operations across parts of Lagos state.

The operations saw to the arrest of a baroness and four other kingpins with multi-billion naira worth of Cocaine, Opioids and Loud recovered from their hideouts.

An alleged female head of one of the syndicates, Faith Nwankwo was arrested on Wednesday 9th August at her residence in Festac area of Lagos shortly after she returned from a warehouse at Plot 3432 Sola Akinsola Street, Divine Estate, Amuwo Odofin where she reportedly loaded eight cartons of tramadol 225mg into an unmarked white Honda Pilot SUV, a statement issued by NDLEA said on Sunday.

The statement signed by NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said a search of her residence and the warehouse led to the recovery of Two Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand (2,750,000) pills of tramaking, a brand of tramadol 225mg and 250mg packed in 39 cartons weighing 1,916 kilograms. The drugs and the SUV were recovered while the suspect was taken into custody.

“In another operation targeted at a group of transnational syndicate involved in importation, exportation, distribution, and dealing in Cocaine and Canadian Loud, operatives of the same Special Unit of the Agency on Friday 4th August tracked the drug syndicate to Atlantic Nominee Estate in Lekki- Ajah area of Lagos where a blue Toyota Highlander SUV was loaded with 8.49kg of cocaine and 10.3kg Canadian Loud for distribution by the duo of Urama Precious, 32, and Adelakun Oluade, 55. A follow-up operation at the residence of Chinemelum at Eti-Osa, Lagos led to the recovery of additional 18 blocks of Loud weighing 18.5kg.

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“While 22-year-old James Aga was arrested during the raid of an uncompleted building on the outskirts of Utese town in Ovia North East LGA of Edo State on Friday 11th August with 10kg skunk, 976kg of the same substance was recovered from the building in addition to the recovery of four motorcycles. In an earlier operation in Utese forest on Tuesday 8th August, at least 46.545kgs of skunk were recovered and 1.581146 hectares of cannabis farms destroyed while two suspects: Onyelunisue Azuka, 48 and Abraham Ayomide, 30, were arrested.

“In Nasarawa state, 49-year-old Umar Abdullahi, was arrested on Friday 11th August with 64.8kgs of cannabis sativa in Doma LGA, while NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, on Wednesday 9th August intercepted a 4.5kg consignment of Loud coming from the United States at a courier firm in Lagos.

In his reaction to the clinical dismantling of the three drug syndicates and arrest of their kingpins, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the Special Unit for being pro-active and pragmatic in the operations. He also applauded their colleagues in Ogun, Ondo, Edo and Nasarawa Commands as well as those of DOGI for their zeal and professionalism. He charged them and their compatriots across the country to remain vigilant and focused.”