NDLEA Busts Three Major Drug Syndicates in Lagos, Recovers Tramadol, Cocaine, and Ephedrine

Patrick OdeyAugust 13, 2023

2 minutes read

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the arrest of three major drug syndicates in Lagos State. The agency said its operatives from the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) carried out the operations in different parts of the state and seized large quantities of illicit drugs and vehicles.

According to a statement by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the first syndicate was led by a female drug baroness, Faith Ebele Nwankwo, who was nabbed on August 9 at her residence in Festac area of Lagos.

She had just returned from a warehouse in 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 revealed 2.75 million pills of Tramaking, a brand of tramadol 225mg and 250mg, packed in 39 cartons weighing 1,916 kg. The drugs and the SUV were confiscated while the suspect was taken into custody.

The second syndicate was involved in the importation, exportation, and distribution of cocaine and Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis. The members of the syndicate were tracked to Atlantic Nominee Estate in Lekki-Ajah area of Lagos on August 4 and were caught red-handed with a Toyota Highlander SUV loaded with 8.49kg of cocaine and 10.3 kg of Canadian Loud that were about to be distributed.

The duo of Urama Chinemelum Precious, 32, and Adelakun Ilelabayo Oluade, 55, were arrested on the spot. A follow-up operation by NDLEA operatives at the residence of Chinemelum at Lagra Estate in Eti-Osa led to the recovery of an additional 18 blocks of Loud weighing 18.5kg.

The third syndicate was busted on August 5 when Udeh Vincent Ogbonna, 53, and Okonkwo Ifeanyi Uzozie, 50, were arrested at a commercial bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba. They were at the point of sending 25kg of ephedrine hydrochloride to the Southeast. The duo was part of a syndicate involved in the importation, distribution, and diversion of the precursor chemical used for the production of methamphetamine.

The NDLEA said it will continue to intensify its efforts to rid the state and the country of drug trafficking and abuse. It also urged the public to support the agency by providing useful information and reporting any suspicious activities related to drugs.