The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a male passenger carrying 4,000 tramadol pills at the Muhammad Murtala International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

This is contained in a statement by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja.

Babafemi said that NDLEA officers at the gate ‘C ‘departure hall of the Lagos airport on Friday foiled the suspect’s attempt to export the pills to Malpensa, Italy, on an Ethiopian Airline flight.

He said that the psychoactive substance was found concealed in women’s wear, granulated melon packed in the suspect’s backpack, and another bag containing food items.

“In his statement, the suspect, who is a frequent flyer, confessed he was hired for 700 euros on successful delivery of the consignment in Italy,“ he said.

Meanwhile, in Bayelsa, NDLEA operatives arrested a 28-year-old woman on April 24 in Amarata area of Yenagoa.

Babafemi said that she was arrested for producing and distributing cakes laced with illicit drugs, especially cannabis sativa.

According to him, at the time of her arrest, substantial number of the drugged cakes weighing 1.5kg were recovered from her.

Also, a 20-year-old hair stylist and a dispatch rider were arrested on March 10 by NDLEA operatives in Yenagoa for a similar offence.

Another person was arrested with 24,180 ampoules of pentazocine injection weighing 135.5 kilogrammes at Sabon Tasha, Kaduna.

Babafemi said that a teenager was also nabbed with 20.700kg of cannabis when his house in Shuware area of Mubi, Adamawa State, was raided on April 26.

In another development, no less than 310.7 kg of cannabis was recovered on April 25 when NDLEA operatives raided parts of Mushin in Lagos State. (NAN)

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says 34 suspected currency speculators have been arrested for foreign exchange (FX) fraud.

The EFCC, in a statement on Friday, said the arrest was carried out by its operatives attached to its task force on currency mutilation, dollarisation of the economy, and FX malpractice.

The anti-graft agency said the suspects were arrested in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, on April 26, in a sting operation following credible intelligence about illegal sales of dollars.

“Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, attached to the Taskforce on Currency mutilation, Dollarization of the Economy and Forex Malpractice, have arrested 34 suspected currency speculators for alleged foreign exchange fraud,” the EFCC said.

“The suspects are: Usman Mohammed, Abdullahi Nasir, Abubakar Saleh, Mohammed Kabir Ibrahim, Abubakar Ghadafi, Muktar Usman, Umar Abubakar Abba, Yakubu Sani, Aminu Abubakar, Muhammed Suleman Abara, Yusuf Tahir, Usman Lawal, Usman Lawal.”

The agency also arrested Usman Umar, Amina Garba Rola, Muhammed Aliyu, Murtala Haruna, Sani Mohammed, Umar Farouk, Muhammed Sagiuru, Aminu Salisu, Lawal Bello, and Munzali Hashim.

Other include: Jamilu Suleiman, Mustapha Umar, Mubarak Tanimu, Adamu Garba, Mohammed Usman, Bello Musa, Saleh Mohammed Naseer, Zaharadeen Yau, Musa Umaru Adamu, Usman Machido, and Abdulaziz Abubakar Abba.

The EFCC said the arrest occurred following its ongoing efforts to clean up and stabilise the FX market, adding that the suspects will soon be arraigned in court upon conclusion of investigations.

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has recommended that the founder and former chief executive of Binance, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, should spend three years in prison for his role in enabling the crypto exchange to violate federal sanctions and money laundering laws.

The DOJ’s attorneys stated this in a sentencing memo filed in court on Tuesday. The attorneys argued that Zhao should pay $50 million in addition to spending 36 months in prison.

This comes as one of the officials of the crypto trading platform, Tigran Gambaryan, is also facing trial on charges of tax evasion, money laundering, and foreign exchange contravention.

Zhao had pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act last November. However, his attorneys argued he should serve no jail time, citing the fine he paid and his “extraordinary acceptance of responsibility.” Instead, they suggested he be sentenced to probation, which could include home confinement at his home in Abu Dhabi.

The DOJ in the sentencing memorandum said:

“Given the magnitude of Zhao’s willful violation of U.S. law and its consequences, an above-Guidelines sentence of 36 months is warranted.

That sentence, together with the agreed $50 million fine, is sufficient but not greater than necessary to balance the relevant 18 U.S.C. 3553(a) factors and achieve the goals of sentencing.

“The Court should impose the unlawful-proceeds Guidelines enhancement The Court should impose the two-level enhancement in USSG 2S1.3(b)(1) because a preponderance of the evidence shows that Zhao knew or believed that at least some funds his company processed were proceeds of unlawful activity.”

Much of the filing echoes arguments made by the DOJ when it first announced charges against Binance and Zhao last year, pointing to how the exchange operated within the U.S.

The filing also looked at how the Sentencing Guidelines address Bank Secrecy Act violations, saying they “are not designed to adequately punish either misconduct on this scale or misconduct that harms U.S. national security.”

“The sentence in this case will not just send a message to Zhao but also to the world. Zhao reaped vast rewards for his violation of U.S. law, and the price of that violation must be significant to effectively punish Zhao for his criminal acts and to deter others who are tempted to build fortunes and business empires by breaking U.S. law,” the filing said.