NDLEA busts lethal drug syndicate, arrests two members in Anambra

The illegal importation and trafficking of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl in Anambra State is allegedly being carried out by two members of a syndicate, according to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Oliver Chigozie Uzoma and Odoh Collins Oguejiofor were detained at the Onitsha Head Bridge and Ogbogwu Market in the state's Onitsha South LGA.

The announcement was made in a statement released on Tuesday by Femi Babafemi, the agency's director of advocacy and media relations.

Items recovered from the suspects include packs of liquid Fentanyl, different quantities of banned and controlled drugs including Fentanyl, ampoules of Fentanyl injection, Ozempic solution for injection in pre-filled pens, ampoules of Sustanon 250mg/ml, ampoules of Rivavirin injection 200mg/2ml, ampoules of Erythropoietin injection, ampoules of Recombinant Anti-Rho-D Immunoglobulin injection 300MG, ampoules of Pethidine 100mg/2ml solution for injection, and Zoladex 3.6mg Goserelin.

According to Babafemi, the arrest was the result of reliable intelligence and cooperation between the agency and its national and international partners.

He continued by saying that after months of undercover surveillance and enough evidence to identify the suspects, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), chairman and chief executive officer of NDLEA, ordered the operation.

The arrest follows a warning from the anti-drug agency in November 2022 that some criminal groups were planning to flood the Nigerian market with fentanyl, which has been implicated in both fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the United States and is thought to be responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths.

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