…Ex-convicts and international drug syndicates among culprits apprehended in nationwide crackdown
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted the largest single cocaine haul ever recorded at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano.
The suspect, Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus, an import and export businessman, was caught on Sunday, December 15, 2024, attempting to smuggle 256 wraps of cocaine weighing 6 kilograms into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According to the NDLEA, the cocaine was meticulously concealed within the suspect’s body and discovered during a routine body screening. The MAKIA Command described this as the most significant interception since its establishment in 2006.
In a similar operation, NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos foiled an attempt by an ex-convict, Olanrewaju Bada Akorede, to export a consignment of rohypnol concealed in gari, shoes, singlets, and other items to South Africa.
Akorede, who had previously served a two-year sentence for drug trafficking in 2023, was apprehended while attempting to commit the same crime again.
Elsewhere, an Italy-based businesswoman, Cynthia Akaeen, was arrested on December 18, 2024, at the Lagos airport while attempting to smuggle 9,190 tramadol tablets weighing 6 kilograms to Italy.
Akaeen reportedly admitted she was promised €1,000 for successfully delivering the consignment.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation, NDLEA officers raided a warehouse in the building materials market in Onitsha, Anambra State, on December 17, recovering 418,330 pills of tramadol, tapentadol, and 8,000 bottles of codeine syrup.
At the Tincan Island Port in Lagos, a joint operation by NDLEA and other security agencies uncovered 180,000 bottles of codeine syrup in a container originating from Mundra, India. The consignee, Makata Emmanuel, was immediately arrested.
Further operations in Maiduguri, Borno State, led to the seizure of 293,000 tramadol capsules, a pistol, and 26 rounds of live ammunition from two suspects, Ishaya Wabba and Samaila Audu.
Additionally, Sanusi Abdul Hamid was apprehended in Gwange with 260,000 capsules of tramadol.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, stated that these coordinated crackdowns demonstrate the agency’s commitment to disrupting the activities of drug traffickers and international syndicates.
He commended the officers involved in the operations and urged citizens to support the agency’s efforts in curbing drug abuse and trafficking.
