NDLEA Uncovers Billionaire Drug Baron in Lagos Warehouse, Intercepts $20m Counterfeit in Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a series of major drug busts across the country, including a warehouse belonging to a wanted billionaire drug baron at the International Trade Fair Complex, Lagos.

The warehouse contained a massive stash of illicit drugs, such as tramadol, codeine, and codeine syrup, worth over N4.8 billion in street value.

According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, the warehouse was raided on Sunday by the agency’s operatives, who arrested Paulinus Ojukwu, a security aide to the drug baron. Ojukwu is currently assisting the investigation, while the drug baron is still at large.

The statement also revealed that the warehouse raid was preceded by the arrest of Faith Ebele Nwankwo, an alleged drug baroness, on Wednesday. Nwankwo was found with 2.75 million pills of tramaking, a brand of tramadol, at her residence in Lagos.

In another operation on Friday, NDLEA intercepted $20 million suspected to be counterfeit along Abaji-Lokoja road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The fake money was hidden in a bus travelling from Lagos to Abuja. The driver of the bus, Onyebuchi Nlededin, was apprehended by the agency.

On Thursday, NDLEA also arrested Jude Ndubuisi, a repeat offender, with 2.2 kilograms of methamphetamine during a raid at Kabusa village in the FCT. Ndubuisi was previously arrested in July last year with 20.75kg of cannabis and was on court bail when he was rearrested.

Furthermore, NDLEA conducted raids on two notorious drug joints in Dei Dei and Tora-Bora Hills in the FCT on Wednesday. The raids resulted in the seizure of 82.8kg skunk, 1.8kg rohypnol and 1.2kg diazepam from the drug peddlers.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Osun State destroyed several cannabis farms measuring about 3.49000 hectares (over 7.5 tons) at Mopatedo in Ifedayo Local Government Area on Saturday. Two suspects, Sunday Otogbo and Peter Andel Makra, were arrested inside the farms. An additional 30kg of cannabis weeds and 16.9kg of cannabis seeds were recovered from the farms.

In Imo State, NDLEA also seized 168kg cannabis during a stop-and-search operation along Owerri-Onitsha expressway on Saturday. Three suspects, Ndubuisi Okorie, Ebilima Emmanuel and Okechukwu Anthony Smart, were arrested in connection with the seizure.

On Sunday, another shipment of controlled drugs containing 6,000 capsules of tramadol, 1,200 tablets of swinol, 155 bottles of codeine syrup and 20 tabs of Molly was intercepted by NDLEA on the same road. A follow-up operation in Oyigbo area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State led to the arrest of Remigius Ogechukwu, the owner of the shipment.

In Enugu State, NDLEA arrested a teenager, Boniface Odinakachukwu, with 99.4kg skunk at Isikwe Road, Achi in Oji-River Local Government Area on Saturday.

In Sokoto State, NDLEA nabbed Aliyu Mohammed Altine, a wanted bandit with some wraps of skunk along Illela-Sokoto road on Thursday. Altine was on the police wanted list and has been handed over to them for further investigation.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers and men involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the momentum in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria.

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