Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an automobile spare parts dealer, Ejiofor Chiwuzie, for attempting to export consignments of heroin and a strain of cannabis known as “loud” from Lagos.
The arrest was confirmed in a statement by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja.
According to Babafemi, the drugs were intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.
The contraband was hidden inside LED rechargeable lamps and metal sofa legs, and was discovered at the airport’s export shed.
Ejiofor, who operates a spare parts business at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, was apprehended on Tuesday, September 24, following the seizure of his shipment.
The cargo, which included auto parts, rechargeable lamps, sofa legs, and electronics, was bound for Liberia when it was intercepted by NDLEA operatives.
“Concealed inside the LED lamps and sofa legs were 37 parcels of heroin weighing 1.10 kilograms and four blocks of loud, a type of cannabis, with a total weight of 1.20 kilograms,” Babafemi stated.
He further revealed that a swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of two freight agents, followed by Ejiofor, who was identified as the mastermind behind the consignment.
In a related development, the NDLEA thwarted several attempts by drug trafficking networks to export illicit substances, including loud, tramadol pills, co-codamol tablets, pentazocine injections, dihydrocodeine, and promethazine tablets through courier companies.
The shipments were bound for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Thailand, and Oman.
Babafemi explained that NDLEA officers attached to the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) foiled the smuggling attempts.
“Among the intercepted consignments were 2.3 kilograms of loud concealed in a carton destined for Thailand, and 749 grams of tramadol hidden in the soles of locally made footwears heading to Oman.
Additionally, 60 ampoules of pentazocine injections were intercepted en route to the United States,” Babafemi disclosed.
Other intercepted shipments included 200 pills of co-codamol intended for Australia and 700 tablets of dihydrocodeine, promethazine, and tramadol, along with 20 ampoules of pentazocine injections hidden in footwear soles, destined for the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, 58 ampoules of pentazocine injections were concealed in female clothing and were being smuggled to Canada.
Babafemi noted that the seizures were made between Monday, September 23, and Tuesday, September 24, at various courier firms in Lagos, as the NDLEA continues its crackdown on drug trafficking.
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