The National Drug Enforcement Agency said it had arrested a suspected Saudi-bound drug trafficker, Lawal Oyenuga, who concealed 400 grams of cocaine in a pair of palm sandals.
The anti-narcotics agency said it also arrested a notorious wanted kingpin, Wasiu Gbolahan, who allegedly recruited mules for a cocaine cartel in Lagos, following Oyenuga’s arrest.
According to the agency, the arrest of Oyenuga, 56, was made when NDLEA officers attached to the checkpoint at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, November 24, intercepted him with a pair of palm sandals. packed in the luggage with which he was heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airways flight.
This came just a week after a 56-year-old widow and mother of four, Ms. Ajisegiri Sidika, was arrested at the airport for her attempt to smuggle 400 grams of cocaine concealed in her shoes to Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to board an airplane. Qatar Airways flight, the agency said.
This is stated in a statement signed by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
The statement read: “Operatives from the National Drug Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, disrupted the activities of a major cocaine syndicate in Lagos over the weekend following the arrest of a 56-year-old dealer, Lawal Lateef Oyenuga, who was in a mission to deliver 400 grams of the A-class drug concealed in a pair of palm sandals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and the quick follow-up to the arrest of a notorious wanted kingpin, Wasiu Sanni Gbolahan, popularly known as Teacher, who recruits mules for the sign.
“(NDLEA) officers attached to the checkpoint at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, November 24, intercepted Lawal Lateef Oyenuga with a pair of black palm sandals packed in the luggage with which he was heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airways flight.
“A thorough examination of the sandals revealed that they were used to conceal two packages of cocaine weighing 400 grams. This is just a week after a 56-year-old widow and mother of four, Ms. Ajisegiri Kehinde Sidika, was arrested at the airport for her attempt to smuggle 400 grams of cocaine concealed in her shoes to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. , aboard a Qatar. Airways flight.
“In his statement, Oyenuga claimed that he was recruited to traffic the drug by Wasiu Sanni Gbolahan, popularly known as Teacher, adding that he was first given some cocaine pellets to swallow, but when he was unable to do so, they then gave him the ones hidden in palm sandals. He said he turned to the criminal trade to raise money to pay the exam fee for his daughter, who is in class 3 of the senior secondary school.
“The Agency’s database reveals that Wasiu Sanni (Professor) has been linked to some previous attempts to smuggle cocaine to Saudi Arabia and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He was previously named as the one who recruited a BRT driver, Bolajoko Muyiwa Babalola, to Lagos socialite and Adekaz Hotels owner Alhaji Ademola Afolabi Kazeem (also known as Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem Muhammed), to smuggle drugs to Dubai. Bolajoko was arrested on June 27 when he was transporting 900 grams of cocaine to Dubai while Ademola Kazeem was arrested on Thursday, November 10, just 10 days after being declared wanted by the NDLEA.
“A follow-up operation in the early hours of Friday, November 25 led to the arrest of the kingpin, Teacher, who specializes in recruiting mules for drug lords in and around Lagos at his residence located in the Ikorodu area of Lagos. Wasiu Sanni Gbolahan, 64, is a real estate and housing agent with seven children and four wives, one of whom is deceased.
“In a separate follow-up operation to the seizure of 1.10kg of cannabis concealed in bottles of body cream bound for Dubai on 9 September, the actual owner of the shipment, Wordu Hopewell Chukwuemeka, who runs a boutique in Port Harcourt, state de Rivers, was arrested in Garden City on Thursday, November 24.
“In the same vein, operatives attached to the NAHCO import shed at Lagos Airport on Tuesday, November 22, intercepted a consolidated cargo from Johannesburg, South Africa via an Airpeace Airline flight. The load contained various items, including cloths, cereals, baby toys, drinks and a set of two large black speakers, which were used to conceal 25 packs of the Loud variant of cannabis, with a gross weight of 5.5kg.
“Similarly, agents attached to the SAHCO airport export shed intercepted a box of food used to conceal 500 grams of cannabis headed for Dubai, United Arab Emirates on the same Tuesday, while the owner, Uzoma Kingsley, was arrested for immediate.
“In a related development, an attempt by an organized criminal group to smuggle 131kg of ephedrine, a key precursor chemical for methamphetamine production, to Congo Kinshasa via the airport’s SAHCO export shed was thwarted on Monday, November 21 by agents. from NDLEA along with Aviation Security Officers (AVSEC) from the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). Two freight forwarders – Nwazuru Georgewill and Saheed Muritala linked to the deal were promptly arrested.
“Meanwhile, the attempt by a drug trafficker, Udogwu James Johnson, who is facing multiple drug-related charges, to flee the country after bail was jumped has been thwarted by NDLEA officers at London International Airport. Port Harcourt, where he was arrested on Friday, November 25. The one-year-old suspect was already facing trial in a Federal High Court in Lagos before he was arrested again on Saturday April 9 in Port Harcourt for importing 5.48kg of cocaine concealed in plastic bottles sealed with candle wax. A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt granted him bail on Wednesday November 23 for his latest offence, while the Lagos court had issued an arrest warrant for him for skipping bail in his Lagos case.
“At Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, a Brazilian returnee, Iroegbute Ejike Francis, 46, 46-year-old,’s move to smuggle 4kg of cocaine soaked in towels stuffed in his hand luggage into the country was thwarted on Thursday, May 24. November by NDLEA officers who detained him, upon his arrival on a Qatar Airline flight from Brazil-Doha-Abuja.
“No less than 5,851.3 kilograms (5.8 tons) of cannabis sativa were seized from dealers in five states last week, including a notorious cripple, Ibrahim Yusuf, 45, who was arrested Monday, November 21, in Gasline. , Ifo, state of Ogun. with 4 kg of the psychotropic substance, while a total of 36 bags weighing 570 kg of the same substance were recovered in another raid in a forest in Ogunmakin town, Obafemi Owode LGA.
“In Edo, on Tuesday, November 22, officers evacuated 141 bags of Cannabis Sativa with a gross weight of 1,884 kg (1,884 tons) stored in a warehouse in Okpe Forest, Akoko Edo LGA, while on Thursday, November 24, NDLEA officers arrested Ismaila Abubakar, 50, at Okada Junction, Ovia South West LGA with 22 bags of C/S weighing 216.5kg. One day later, officers also seized 112 bags of C/S stored in Obi Camp Forest, Ovia South West LGA, weighing 1,512kg.
“This was also followed by another seizure of 45 bags weighing 529.5kg, while officers similarly intercepted a Toyota Sienna bus Reg. No. BDG 598 FZ (Lagos) loaded with 566.5kg of cannabis bound for Onitsha, Anambra State, and a suspect, Sunday Mathias, 30, arrested with the seizure.
“In Ondo State, NDLEA officers stormed the Oke-Ogun forest on Friday, November 25, where they arrested Onyebuchi Chime with 88 kg of cannabis, a pistol and some ammunition, while also recovering 149.5 kg of the substance in the forest of Ipele. No less than 12.42 hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed and 195 kg of processed weed of the substance recovered in Efon Alaye, Ekiti State, where two traffickers: Richard Ebong and Nze Abraham were arrested on Saturday, November 26.
“In Oyo State, officers arrested Ms. Adebayo Rahmat, 27 years old, on Thursday, November 24 in Sabo-Ilupeju, Atiba LGA, with 136.3 kg of cannabis while not less than 84,000 pills of Tramadol were recovered from a suspect, Muhsin. Abdullahi in the Bodinga area of Sokoto state on the same day. Similarly, 16,000 pills of Exol-5 and D5 concealed in palm oil were seized from Lawal Rabe, 24, on Friday, November 25 in Kokami village, Danta LGA, Katsina, while a total of 54,500 Tramadol and Exol-5 pills. seized from the duo of Basiru Muhammadu and Saidu Yusuf in the same area on Saturday 26 November.
“NDLEA President/CEO Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retired), CON, OFR, congratulated the officers and men of the Agency’s MMIA, NAIA, PHIA, Edo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Sokoto, Katsina and Oyo commandos for their professionalism in performing of his duties and the remarkable results that followed. He has ordered them and their compatriots across the country not to let their guard down as the nation heads into the festive season.”