NDLEA Uncovers Illicit Drugs Hidden in Ladies’ Wear and others items
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a significant breakthrough in Lagos, discovering concealed illicit substances in various items.
According to a statement by NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the intercepted items included consignments of cocaine and “Loud,” a synthetic strain of cannabis. These drugs were cleverly hidden in incense candles, game packs, dry hibiscus leaves, and ladies’ wear. The substances were intended to be smuggled through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).
On July 18, 2024, a businessman named Abdulwahab Owolabi Alebiosu was arrested at his residence in Horizon Court, Lekki, Lagos. This followed the interception of a consignment containing 40 parcels of Loud, weighing 20.30 kilograms. The drugs were hidden in packs of chessboards, scrabble sets, checkers, and poker sets, and had been shipped from Canada on a British Airways flight. The consignment was intercepted during a joint examination with Customs Service officers at the SAHCO import shed of Lagos airport.
A search of Alebiosu’s home revealed additional drug-related items, including a weighing scale, a cannabis potency test kit, and drug paraphernalia. Four vaping machines were also found at his business premises on Admiralty Way, Lekki. A Mikano black truck with registration number FST 657 HP was seized from his residence.
In another operation at the NAHCO export shed of the MMIA on July 19, NDLEA operatives intercepted two jumbo bags bound for Pakistan. These bags, containing dried hibiscus leaves, dried bitter leaves, and other food items, were used to hide four parcels of cocaine and 14 parcels of Loud, weighing a total of 1.360 kilograms. Further investigation led to the arrest of a businesswoman named Eze Queen Ogechi, who claimed she was sending the illicit consignment to Pakistan at the behest of her brother, Eze Nnamdi Promise, based in South Asia.
Additionally, on July 18, NDLEA officers at Terminal II, Departure Gate of the MMIA, intercepted Orobi Adoubi Amen, a Beninese passenger traveling to Dubai via Accra, Ghana. A search of his bag, which contained female native dresses, revealed eight parcels of Loud weighing 2.10 kilograms. The suspect admitted he was promised N600,000 for successfully delivering the consignment in Dubai.
NDLEA Chairman Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) praised the efforts of the anti-narcotics officers for these seizures. He emphasized the importance of continuing their efforts in drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction across the country.
