THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 36-year-old female lawyer, Adaobi (surname withheld), her boyfriend, Emeka (surname withheld), her mother, Ngozi (surname withheld), Dike (surname withheld), who is herbalist to the family; Chukwudi and Amarachi, members of the family and their 22-year-old salesgirl, Blessing (surname withheld).
A statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday said the suspects were arrested in a joint raid operation between the agency and men of the State Homeland Security at 23 Arochukwu Street, Umuahia, Abia State at about 11:00 p.m. on February 14.
Investigations revealed that members of the family had long been in the drug business passed on to them by their now late father, Jonathan.
Recovered from them as of the time of their arrest are various quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, loud, cannabis sativa and precursor chemical with a total weight of 1.670 kilogrammes, as well as N578,400 monetary exhibit.
Babafemi also said, operatives of the NDLEA intercepted a large consignment of Loud, a synthetic strong strain of cannabis, concealed in giant loudspeakers tucked in a consolidated cargo imported from New York, United States of America.
When the giant wooden boxes dressed as sound speakers seized by NDLEA officers at the NAHCO import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos were opened, the sound boxes were stuffed with 60 bags of the expensive but highly sought-after psychoactive substance, Loud, weighing 33.5 kilogrammes.
Three suspects, a freight agent Akeem (surname withheld), logistics company manager, Babalola (surname withheld) and the receiver of the consignment, Taiwo (surname withheld) were arrested in follow-up operations between Thursday and Friday.
While Akeem was arrested at the airport, Babalola was nabbed at his office on Allen Avenue Ikeja and Taiwo traced to his residence at 13, Ayo Babatunde Crescent, Lekki Phase1, Lagos, where he was picked up on Friday.
The statement added that an attempt by a 25-year-old Uber driver, Joshua (surname withheld) to deliver a consignment of 26.2 grams of Loud picked in Abuja to a customer in Keffi, Nasarawa State on February 12 was thwarted by NDLEA operatives who intercepted him.
In the same vein, 54-year-old Dada (surname withheld) was on Wednesday arrested at Dan Bare area of Kano State with 468 blocks of cannabis weighing 246.4 kilogrammes.
Same day, operatives in Ogun State arrested the two suspects with 13 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa.
In Kogi State, a suspect was arrested by NDLEA operatives in a hotel in Lokoja on Friday with 290 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 116 kilogrammes.
The exhibit was concealed in the boot of a blue Honda Accord car which took off from Ekiti State en route Abuja.
Not less than 227 kilograms of the same substance was recovered from Atoshi camp, Emure-Ile, Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, while two suspects were arrested.
Operatives in Edo State, acting on intelligence on Wednesday, intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine coming from Onitsha, Anambra State to Lagos in a Toyota Sienna bus.
The meth consignment, weighing 0.966 kilograms, was concealed inside a cassava-made local food item, African salad, popularly called “Abacha.”
The driver of the vehicle was arrested in connection with the seizure.
On the same day, a team of NDLEA officers also intercepted a Peugeot 406 space wagon car driven by Akhere (surname withheld), on Uromi road in Esan North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 865 bottles of codeine; 2,600 pills of tramadol and 600 tabs of swinol and rohypnol, while in Abuja, NDLEA operatives conducted raid operations in Kubwa area during which they arrested two suspects with 10.5-kilogramme cannabis, 13.5 grams of diazepam and 2.9 grams of tramadol tablets.
Another suspect was arrested on Thursday with 50.5 kilogramme cannabis during a stop-and-search operation on the Abaji/Abuja highway on his way from Auchi, Edo State, en route Paiko, Niger State.
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