NDLEA Intercepts Heroin Worth N6.5Bn In Lagos

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a consignment of twenty six point one -five -zero kilograms of heroin with a street value of over six point five billion naira at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.The illicit drug had arrived Lagos in twenty five parcels from South Africa through Airpeace Airline flight on thirtieth June, 2021 and was detained for screening following suspicions about the content of the consignment.

A follow up operation was subsequently carried out the following day, when narcotic officers of the MMIA command trailed a driver and the clearing agent that were assigned to deliver the consignment to the house of a suspected baron, Tony Chidi Onwurolu at No. 132 Lateef Adegboyega Street, off Ago palace way by Grandmate bus stop Okota, Lagos.During the follow up operation, Tony Chidi Onwurolu who mounted a counter-surveillance around his neighbourhood fled his home before the arrival of the team of operatives who stormed his residence. They however searched his home and recovered a number of documents to establish his true identity.In the same vein, operatives of the Command also intercepted a four point three kilogrammes of skunk imported from Canada. The package, which came on Ethiopian Airline, was concealed in nine packs of cereals.

Also on 9th July, one Babatunde Usman Omogbolahan Bakare was intercepted by NDLEA operatives with five hundred and fifty grams of cannabis and fifty grams of Rohypnol (Flunitrazepam) concealed in six jerry cans of local herbal mixtures called Gabo also at the MMIA, Ikeja. Last Tuesday, operatives of the MMIA Command, conducted a follow-up operation at Gate 2, Ladipo Oluwole Street, opposite Guinness Bottling Company, Ikeja, where one Animashaun Kabiru was apprehended for questioning about a bag containing bitter cola, which was brought for export to the UK. When the bag of bitter kola was searched, it was discovered that the bitter kola were mixed with some wraps of a substance suspected to be illicit drug.Thirty-six wraps of the suspected substance later tested positive for Cocaine weighing six hundred grams.In a related development, an Uber driver, Lawal Tunde Rasheed, arrested on 8th June in connection with the seizure of a cocaine consignment has been let off the hook following his cooperation that led to the arrest of the real owner of the drug, Mr. Egbo Emmanuel Maduka, who in his statement accepted ownership of the consignment and absolved Lawal of any complicity.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, directed that the fleeing suspected drug baron, Tony Chidi Onwurolu be declared wanted and his details submitted to Interpol for tracking across the globe.He also directed the Agency’s Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigations as well as the Directorate of Intelligence to deploy their networks to fast track the arrest of Onwurolu.Marwa said owing to the volume of heroin brought into the country by the fleeing suspect, the Agency would deploy all available mechanisms, locally and internationally, to track him down and bring him to face charges in the law court.While commending officers and men of the MMIA Command of the Agency for the series of seizures and arrests in the past week, Gen. Marwa asked them not to rest on their oars, adding that they all need to remain fully prepared and proactive at all times to battle the scourge to a standstill.