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NDLEA arrests Lawyer, family members, others in drug bust

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 36-year-old female lawyer, Adaobi Nweke; her boyfriend, Emeka Nkemefola; her mother, Mrs Ngozi Nweke; Dike Okpara, who is a herbalist to the family; Chukwudi Abel, a member of the family; Amarachi Paul, another member of the family; and their 22-year-old salesgirl, Blessing Jonathan.

A statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday that 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, around 11 pm on February 14, 2024.

Investigations revealed that members of the family had long been in the illicit drug business, which was passed on to them by their now-dead father, Jonathan Nweke.

Recovered from them as of the time of their arrest are various quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, Loud, cannabis sativa, and precursor chemicals with a total weight of 1.670 kg, as well as a 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 Lagos airport were opened, the sound boxes were stuffed with 60 bags of the expensive but highly sought-after psychoactive substance, Loud, weighing 33.5 kilogrammes.

At least three suspects—a freight agent, Akeem Afeez; a logistics company manager, Babalola Ayodeji Gboyega; and the receiver of the consignment, Taiwo Olusegun Anuoluwapo—were arrested in follow-up operations between Thursday and Friday.

While Afeez was arrested at the airport, Gboyega was nabbed at his office on Allen Avenue, Ikeja, and Taiwo was traced to his residence at 13, Ayo Babatunde Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, where he was picked up on Friday.

The statement said an attempt by a 25-year-old Uber driver, Joshua Henry, to deliver a consignment of 26.2 grammes of Loud picked up 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 Adedara was arrested on Wednesday in the Dan Bare area of Kano State with 468 blocks of cannabis weighing 246.4kg.

The same day, operatives in Ogun State arrested the duo of Kafayat Junaid and Sakirat Osoanu with 13 kg of cannabis sativa.

In Kogi state, a suspect, Charles Chike, was arrested by NDLEA operatives in a hotel in Lokoja on Friday with 290 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 116kg.

The exhibit was concealed in the boot of a blue Honda Accord car marked Abuja ABC 853 SL, which took off from Ekiti State en route to Abuja.

Not less than 227kg of the same substance were recovered from the Atoshi camp in Emure-Ile, Owo LGA, Ondo State, while two suspects, John Jonathan and Emmanuel Alex, were arrested.

Operatives in Edo State, acting on intelligence, intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine coming from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Lagos in a Toyota Sienna bus marked Anambra NZM 347 ZL on Wednesday. The meth consignment weighing 0.966kg was concealed inside a cassava-made local food item, African salad, popularly called “Abacha.”.

The driver of the vehicle, Afamefuna Ibeawuchi Kingsley, was arrested in connection with the seizure. On the same day, a team of NDLEA officers also intercepted a Peugeot 406 space waggon driven by Akhere Fardam along Uromi Road in Esan Northeast LGA.

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, the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives conducted raid operations in the Kubwa area, during which they arrested Tawa Wasiu and Iliya Ibrahim with 10.5 kg of cannabis, 13.5 grammes of diazepam, and 2.9 grammes of tramadol tablets.

Another suspect, Yaro Bala, was arrested on Thursday with 50.5 kg of cannabis during a stop-and-search operation along the Abaji/Abuja highway on his way from Auchi, Edo State, to Paiko, Niger State.

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