By; AMOS TAUNA, Kaduna
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has smashed a cocaine trafficking cartel headed by a couple: Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, has been smashed in Lagos and Ogun States with multi-billion Naira worth of the illicit drug recovered in two major operations.
This following the arrest of the kingpin and his queen in one of the intelligence-led raids.
A statement yesterday, issued by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, explained that the duo were arrested on Saturday, May 25, 2024 by operatives of a special operation unit in NDLEA with the support of Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States at Ibiye, along Lagos-Badagry expressway while attempting to cross the land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana.
According to him, at the point of their arrest, 42 blocks of the Class A drug weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on them.
He further explained that a swift follow-up operation in their residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun state, led to the recovery of additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from the couple to 57.5 kilograms.
The statement explained, “In another raid by the special operation unit, no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of lethal synthetic opioid, fentanyl, weighing 6.48kg were recovered from a member of a drug trafficking syndicate, 34-year-old Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi at the popular Idumota market in Lagos Island.”
It said no less than 790 ampoules of the dangerous opioid weighing 5.273kg were equally seized from another member of the fentanyl syndicate, 48-year-old Chieze Ogechukwu Benjamin who was also arrested at Idumota market. Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, which is 100 times more potent than heroin is currently responsible for over 70% overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US.
Two other persons, the statement explained, are Olayiwola Aremu Kazeem, 37, and Ogunfowora Taofik Ajibola, 35, saying that they were arrested on Lagos Island in a different raid by NDLEA officers with 432 grams of methamphetamine recovered from them,” Babafemi stated.
Also, at the Tincan Port in Lagos, the statement said the NDLEA operatives on Saturday, May 25, 2024, intercepted 15 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 7.5kg concealed in the doors and body crevices of a Toyota Highlander SUV in a container marked MSMU 7294325.
It stated that the container declared as containing three units of used vehicles, including the Toyota Highlander, originated from Toronto and shipped to Nigeria via Montreal, Canada.
The NDLEA spokesman added that a swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of two suspects: Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, who were to receive the vehicle and the drug consignment, pointing out that a bribe of six million naira offered NDLEA officers by the sender of the container based in Canada through his agent has also been registered as exhibit for the prosecution of the case.
Chairman/Chief Executive officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), while reacting to the arrest of the drug kingpins and the seizure of the dangerous illicit drugs, commended the officers and men of the special operation unit for their resilience in targeting and taking down drug cartels and barons.
He also hailed the result-oriented collaboration between NDLEA and its local and international partners, urging all commands and formations of the Agency to remain unrelenting in their offensive action against the drug underworld.
