NDLEA recovers 4.8 billion worth of opioids after raiding drug warehouses in Lagos

The Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has conducted raids on suspected drug warehouses around Lagos State, Kogi, Osun, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, among other locations. Drugs worth N4.8 billion were seized during these operations.

According to a statement made by the director of media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, at the weekend, multiple billion naira worth of illegal substances were once more found in a warehouse hidden within the well-known International Trade Fair Complex, Alaba, in Lagos' Ojo neighborhood.

A warehouse belonging to a wanted billionaire drug lord contained 1.4 million (1,400,000) tramadol 225 mg pills weighing 826 kg, 3.2 million (3,200,000) codeine pills weighing 3,360 kg, and 2,841 cartons of codeine syrup containing 284,100 bottles containing 28,410 litres of the psychoactive substance, valued at a total of N4, 820,500,000.

Paulinus Ojukwu, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to a wanted drug lord posing as an auto parts merchant, was captured in another long-running operation and is now supporting the ongoing investigation.

These raids follow Faith Ebele Nwankwo's arrest, a drug baroness who was earlier apprehended on Wednesday, August 9th, in Lagos.

According to the statement, the NDLEA conducted a stop and search along the Abaji-LLokoja road in the Federal Capital Territory and seized twenty million dollar bills ($20 million) that were allegedly counterfeit.

At the weekend, the bus's 53-year-old driver, Onyebuchi Nlededin, was detained after the allegedly bogus currency was discovered on board the vehicle travelling from Lagos to Abuja.

Jude Ndubuisi, 52, was detained with 2.2 kilogrammes of methamphetamine in Kabusa village, FCT, during a raid operation. The defendant, who was originally detained on July 7, 2022, with 20.75kg of cannabis, was being held on court bail while his case was still being prosecuted when he was taken into custody for yet another narcotics offence.

Dei Dei and Tora-Bora Hills, two infamous drug dens in the FCT, were the target of another operation, which yielded 82.8 kg of skunk, 1.8 kg of rohypnol, and 1.2 kg of diazepam.

Similar raids and arrests were made in Osun State, where cannabis plantations of around 3.49000 hectares (about 7.5 tonnes) were destroyed in Mopatedo in the state's Ifedayo local government area.

In addition to the 30 kg of cannabis weed and 16.9 kg of cannabis seeds that were confiscated from the fields, two suspects, Sunday Otogbo, 40, and Peter Andel Makra, 35, were also detained within the cannabis farms.

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