Operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have arrested the head of the Akarabata community in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Ba’ale Ige Babatunde, 50, with fresh cannabis plants that weighed 5kg.
The operatives also raided the Lagos base of a high-profile cocaine syndicate headed by a couple, Agbakoba Mmadu, and Agbakoba Chinwe, as well as their associate, Okoye Maryjane, where large consignments of the class A drug meant for export and local distribution were recovered.
Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said: “The raid carried out by a special operations unit of the agency followed months of intelligence gathering and surveillance on the syndicate notorious for packaging, distributing and trafficking of cocaine within and outside Nigeria.
“The 54-year-old Agbakoba Mmadu was arrested at Ago Palace Way, Okota while his wife, Agbakoba Chinwe, 39, and associate, Okoye Maryjane, 31, who doubles as their stash keeper, were nabbed at Plot 2205, Eugene Ndubisi Close, Lilly Estate, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, all on 3 July 2024.
“While seven parcels of cocaine with a total weight of 7.652 kilograms were recovered from Mmadu at Ago Palace Way, 122 compressed pellets of the same drug weighing 2.42kg were seized from the duo of Ijeoma and Ifeoma at Lilly Estate, bringing the total seizure to 10.1 kilograms valued at over N2.1 billion in street value.
“In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Benue State on 4 July, intercepted a consignment of 350 grams of cocaine at a checkpoint along Enugu road, Otukpo.
“The illicit drug was concealed in an MP3 speaker sent as a waybill parcel.
“A swift follow-up operation at Flight motor park in Otukpo led to the arrest of the owner, 25-year-old Odeh Anthony.
“Meanwhile, NDLEA officers on a stop and search operation along Ngurore-Yola road in Adamawa State on 3 July, arrested a Chadian, Yves Gali in a commercial bus coming from Kano to Yola.
“The suspect was found with a loudspeaker used to conceal 20 compressed blocks, and nine plastic containers of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 5.200kg”.
“In Kano, operatives on 3 July, arrested a youth corps member, Yusuf Abdulrahman, 25, at Corpers Lodge, Sumaila area of the city, with 1.250kg of Loud,
“Two suspects: Monday Ali, 49, and Jimoh Alewi, 37, were arrested when NDLEA operatives raided Ikota forest in Ifedore LGA, Ondo state where a total of 42,500kg cannabis was destroyed on 17 hectares of farmland while 73.5kg of same substance was recovered for the prosecution of the suspects during a five-day operation that ended on 1 July.
“In Abuja, the FCT, NDLEA operatives on 8 July, arrested the duo of Sanusi Mamman, 28, and Usaini Ibrahim, 20, in a vehicle along Abaji-Gwagwalada with 1,132 bottles of codeine syrup; 13, 540 pills of tramadol; 50,000 pills of diazepam and 59 pills of rophynol”.
