The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has reported a series of major seizures across several states, including the arrest of a Lagos businessman who allegedly financed a cocaine shipment after selling his business and other assets.
The suspect, Nwankwo Onyebuchi, was arrested at the departure hall of Murtala Muhammed International Airport while preparing to board a flight to New Delhi.
NDLEA said officers found 1.55 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside the walls and railings of his luggage.
According to the agency, Onyebuchi told investigators that he raised N23 million by liquidating assets to purchase the drugs and expected to sell them in India for about N100 million.
The claim forms part of the agency’s investigation and has not been tested in court.
Elsewhere in Lagos, NDLEA operatives discovered 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of codeine based syrup at a warehouse in Okota.
The agency valued that seizure at more than N2.6 billion.
In a separate operation in Ipaja, officers recovered 324 kilogrammes of a synthetic cannabis strain valued at about N972 million from the residence of a suspected drug distributor.
The two Lagos seizures were valued at roughly N3.57 billion.
Along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, two suspects were arrested with 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection.
In Kano, six suspects were arrested with hundreds of thousands of opioid pills as well as cocaine, methamphetamine, codeine syrup and synthetic cannabis.
Another Kano operation led to the recovery of more than 100 kilogrammes of skunk.
In Plateau, NDLEA officers intercepted more than 239,000 tramadol capsules.
Operatives on the Onitsha Asaba Expressway also recovered large quantities of tramadol, codeine syrup, Rohypnol, diazepam and injectable opioids.
In Edo State, the agency destroyed more than 4,600 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated on two farms and arrested a suspect.
Another suspect was arrested in Benin with synthetic cannabis and methamphetamine.
In Delta State, an individual was arrested with 1,244 cartridges and N8 million in cash.
NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa commended officers involved in the operations and said the agency would continue combining enforcement with public education under its drug abuse prevention campaign.
