The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced Sunday that its operatives have dismantled two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates, seizing cocaine and opioids worth billions of naira and arresting six cartel leaders across various regions in Nigeria.
This crackdown included a significant operation at Apapa Seaport, Lagos, on Wednesday, November 6, where NDLEA agents intercepted 31.75 million tablets of 240mg Voltron, a controlled opioid, concealed in a container from India labeled as diclofenac sodium tablets.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi stated that these syndicates were tracked through months of intelligence gathering and surveillance. He disclosed that the syndicate, which includes members based in Mubi (Adamawa State), Onitsha (Anambra State), and Lagos as well as Cameroonian collaborators, is suspected of supplying drugs to terror groups in Nigeria and Cameroon.
Among those arrested are Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Udechukwu Anayo, Ezeh Amaechi Martin, and Adejumo Elijah Ishola.
Babafemi explained that the network operated by sourcing drugs such as tramadol from suppliers in Onitsha, concealing them in vehicles, and transporting them to the North and Cameroon using modified compartments in vehicles.
Additional raids across Kaduna, Edo, and Ondo States uncovered massive cannabis hauls and led to multiple arrests.
NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative also saw sensitization lectures at schools, workplaces, and traditional rulers’ palaces, including visits to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II. The agency’s Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended the officers across various commands for their tireless efforts in combating drug abuse and trafficking throughout the country.
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