NDLEA Arrests 3 Grandpas, Nigerien With 52kgs Cocaine

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested three sexagenarian grandfathers and a Nigerien in connection with the seizure of over 52.252 kilograms of cocaine, methamphetamine and skunk as well as 32, 590 pills of opioids in Lagos, Kwara, Plateau, Sokoto and two courier companies.

The NDLEA said on Friday 24th February, NDLEA operatives attached to the NAHCO import shed of the airport intercepted eight cartons of shoes coming from Los Angeles, United States of America.

A diligent examination of the cargo however showed that the shoes were used to conceal a total of 37 parcels of Loud variant of cannabis with a gross weight of 20.10 kilogrammes.

A 63-year-old grandfather, Balogun Akinlabi Abideen hired as a freight agent  to clear the illicit consignment has already been arrested.

Two other sexagenarians arrested in connection with drug trafficking include Butven Siman, 62, who was nabbed with 5.5kgs skunk on Friday 17th Feb. at Timbol village, Langtang South LGA, Plateau State, as well as 65-year-old Musa Shuaib who was arrested with a kilogram of cannabis on Thursday 23rd February in Adewole area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi said a suspect, Onyebi Benjamin Chimaobi who frequents Cameroun, Ethiopia, Uganda and has been on NDLEA’s watchlist was on Saturday 18th February arrested at Victory Estate, Iba, Ojo area of Lagos in connection with the seizure of a 19.70kgs cocaine abandoned on an Ethiopian airline flight that arrived Lagos airport on Thursday 9th February.

Chimaobi had travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to pick the consignment, which he claimed was handed over to him in a black backpack bag on the plane in Addis Ababa but failed to disembark with it on arrival in Lagos.

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While the NDLEA investigated the flight crew members, relevant intelligence and investigative tools were deployed to identify the passenger who brought the consignment to Nigeria as a result of which Chimaobi was eventually unraveled and traced to Victory Estate, Iba where he was arrested.

The NDLEA also said in the same vein, its operatives on Thursday 23rd February intercepted an intending passenger on Turkish Airline flight to Torino via Milan, Italy at the departure hall of the Lagos airport, Obazee Timothy Eguagie, with various quantities of opioids.

The consignment consisting a total of 22, 840 tablets of Tramadol 225mg weighing 10.60 kg; 1000 tablets of Tramadol 200mg with a gross weight of 600 grams; 2, 300 capsules of Tramadol 100mg, weighing 800 grams and 60 tablets of Rohypnol 1mg, weighing 19 grams were concealed inside cloths and wrapped with black tapes.