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Drug baroness, 4 kingpins arrested as NDLEA busts 3 syndicates in Lagos

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..Recovers 2.7 million pills of Tramadol, 62.29kg Cocaine, Ephedrine, Loud; seizes over 13tons of skunk in 4 states

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


A female head of one of the syndicates, Faith Ebele Nwankwo was arrested on Wednesday 9th August at her residence, House 6, C close, 3rd Avenue, Festac area of Lagos shortly after she returned from a warehouse at Plot 3432 Sola Akinsola Street, Divine Estate, Amuwo Odofin where she loaded eight cartons of tramadol 225mg into an unmarked white Honda Pilot SUV.


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 Chinemelum Precious, 32, and Adelakun Ilelabayo Oluade, 55.

A follow-up operation at the residence of Chinemelum at House 7, Road 7, Lagra estate, Eti-Osa, Lagos led to the recovery of additional 18 blocks of Loud weighing 18.5kg.


The following day, Saturday 5th August, operatives of the Special Unit went after another syndicate involved in importation, distribution and diversion of ephedrine hydrochloride, a precursor chemical used for the production of methamphetamine, following intelligence that members of the cartel were planning to divert 25 kilograms of the substance.


Two members of the syndicate: Udeh Vincent Ogbonna, 53, and Okonkwo Ifeanyi Uzozie, 50, were arrested at a commercial bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, Lagos where they were attempting to send the concealed substance to the South East. A body search conducted on the two suspects led to the recovery of Three Thousand ($3,000) US Dollars found on Udeh Vincent Ogbonna.


In operations across four other states of Ogun, Ondo, Edo and Nasarawa, NDLEA operatives recovered over 13,391.8 kilograms of skunk. No fewer than 1,955kgs of the illicit substance packed in 139 jumbo bags and stored in the warehouse of a wanted notorious drug dealer, Lekan Jimoh (aka Konmo Konmo) in Ado Odo Ota area of Ogun state were recovered in the early hours of Saturday 12th August in collaboration with officers and men of the Nigerian Army.


In Ondo, Ogbu Paul Odey, 30; Daniel Osidi, 34; John Iyage, 41; Friday Simon, 28; and Friday James, 24, were arrested in connection with the seizure and/or destruction of over 10,325.5kgs of cannabis sativa in Iju and Ala forests, in Akure area of the state between Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th August.


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.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media and Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters Abuja
Sunday 13th August 2023

Crime

UNIPORT final-year student jailed 14 years for internet fraud

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A student of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) has been handed a 14-year sentence for internet fraud.

The undergraduate, identified as Henry Nathaniel Ekanem, was convicted before the judge A. T. Mohammed during a federal high court sitting in Rivers state on Wednesday.

Ekanem was arraigned by the Port Harcourt zonal directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The final-year student faced a seven-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretence and impersonation.

One of the counts reads:

“That you, Henry Nathaniel Ekanem on or about 17th September 2024, at Choba in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the sum of twenty-two United States of America dollars ($22) from Diana Roskov by fraudulently representing yourself as Coran Capsha, manager of the singer, Chris Stapleton, a pretence you knew to be false and thereby committed offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud- Related Offences Act 2006.”

Ekanem pleaded guilty when the charges were read to him.

Given his plea, the prosecution counsel A. Abubakar tendered some documents that were admitted by the court and marked as exhibits.

He prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant accordingly.

F. T. Fred-Boufini, counsel to the defendant, did not oppose the prayers by the prosecution.

She prayed the court to be merciful as the defendant was a first-time offender with no previous criminal records.

The judge convicted and sentenced the defendant to two years imprisonment on each of the seven counts or an option of a fine of N200,000 payable into the consolidated revenue account of the federal government.

The judge also ordered that all the phones recovered from the convict be forfeited to the government.

He said the convict shall also depose an affidavit of good behaviour before the court.

Ekanem was arrested by the EFCC in September at Choba in Port Harcourt for internet fraud and other fraud-related activities.

The convict defrauded one Diana Roskov by impersonating Coran Capsha, the manager of the singer Chris Stapleton, via social media.

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Crime

NDLEA intercepts tramadol pills, codeine syrups worth N16.6bn at Lagos, Rivers ports

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have uncovered a significant drug haul at Tincan Island Port in Lagos state and Onne Port in Rivers state.

The agency said 26,250,000 pills of tramadol and 508,400 bottles of codeine syrup with a street value of N16.68 billion were seized in separate raids.

Other drugs seized include 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700kg.

The agency also seized 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in soles of 13 pairs of shoes.

In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the Cyprus-bound consignment was seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on October 12, 2024.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said an additional 380 tablets were recovered from the home of the alleged sender, Okenwa Uchenna, during a follow-up operation in Enugu state on 24 October.

“A cash sum of N968,880 and a Toyota Avalon car marked UWN 389 AS were also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest,” Babafemi said.

A 40-year-old suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, was also arrested in connection with a cannabis seizure in the Ago Palace area of Lagos.

Babafemi said a “bribe of N10 million” allegedly paid to NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as evidence for prosecution.

He added that on October 25, NDLEA operatives raided the Igbo-Igunuko shrine at Alfa Beach in Ajah.

They recovered jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud cannabis, weighing 2,760kg, and arrested two suspects — Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun.

Another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin, was also arrested with 770kg of the same substance along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

Additionally, a total of 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, rohypnol, and diazepam, as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from an underground storage at the home of suspect Muhammad Warnos Abdullahi in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

The NDLEA reported said he had dug a deep storage space in his room, covered it with a padlocked iron slate, a rug, and placed his mattress on top to avoid detection.

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Crime

Court sentences Canadian woman to 11 years in prison for importing 35.2kg cannabis into Nigeria

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A federal high court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced Adrienne Munju, a Canadian woman, to 11 years in prison for drug trafficking.

The court convicted Munju after she pleaded guilty to a two-count charge preferred against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Operatives of the NDLEA arrested the convict on October 3 at terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, during the inward clearance of inbound passengers on a KLM flight at the airport’s ‘D’ arrival hall.

Narcotic agents found 74 parcels of Canadian loud, a strong strain of synthetic cannabis, weighing 35.20 kilograms in the possession of the woman.

Munju claimed she was recruited to traffic the illicit consignment through an online platform for 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos.

The 41-year-old said she took the offer to be able to raise money to pay for her ongoing master’s degree programme in Canada.

At the court on Wednesday, the Canadian pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to her.

After the defendant’s pleas, Abu Ibrahim, the NDLEA prosecutor, called a witness, Angela Mba, an assistant superintendent of narcotics at the agency.

Mba narrated how the Canadian was arrested with the illicit drugs, after which she tendered some exhibits, which include two suitcases that were used in concealing the drugs, her Canadian passport, confessional statements, laboratory test analysis reports, and samples of the illicit drug. All the items were admitted as exhibits 1 to 13.

Deinde Dipeolu, the presiding judge, convicted the defendant after reviewing the facts and the exhibits.

In his allocutus before the court, Benson Ndakara, counsel to the defendant, pleaded with the court to have mercy on the convict.

“We plead for leniency on behalf of the convict, my lord,” Ndakara said.

“The convict pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity by not wasting the precious time of the court and has been very remorseful.”

After listening to the allocutus by the defendant’s counsel, Dipeolu sentenced Adrienne Munju to six years in prison on count one and five years on count two.

The judge, however, gave the convict an option of a N50 million fine on each of the two counts, amounting to N100 million.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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