NDLEA intercepts largest consignment of heroin at Lagos airport

Published: February 27, 2024

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted the largest consignment of heroin at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

The development came after the anti-narcotics agency successfully dismantled and arrested members of an organised criminal organisation that specialises in trafficking heroin across Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Europe, and America.

The arrest was successful after 12 days of a well-coordinated operation that led to the seizure of the single largest consignment of heroin at the Lagos airport.

Briefing the media at the NAHCO Shed of the NDLEA office on Tuesday, the chairman, Brigadier General Baba Marwa, who said the briefing was in line with the agency’s policy of transparency in its renewed fight against drug trafficking, gave a chronological brief of how the operation led to what is now the single largest seizure of heroin at the Lagos airport.

According to Marwa, “It started on February 10, 2024, when the NDLEA operatives of the Lagos airport command intercepted a suspicious package at the SAHCO import shed of the airport cargo terminal.

“The consignment was concealed in 15 cartons of 2300-watt metal cutting machines. Each carton was stocked with three blocks of high-grade heroin. In total, we recovered 45 blocks of the illicit substance with a total weight of 49.70kg.

“After the discovery, we were methodical and meticulous in our investigations. We started with the arrest of the freight agent, whose name is Olowolagba Wasiu Babatunde.

“It turned out that he was hired for clearing services by Matpee Logistics, a company operated by a Mr Kola, a resident of South Africa.

“Next, we conducted a follow-up operation at the company’s warehouse in the Shogunle area of Oshodi, Lagos, and arrested the warehouse manager, whose name is Ajayi Imole Moses.

Thereafter, we set up an ambush for the expected receiver of the consignment, who was duly arrested when he showed up for collection.

“This receiver, whose name is Adinnu Felix Chinedu, confessed during interrogation that he is the main distributor for a drug syndicate whose membership spreads across Nigeria.

“He admitted that he usually conveyed the consignment to a dedicated warehouse located in Ayobo. That place served as a workshop where he would dismantle the consignment and remove the drugs from the machines.

“Thereafter, he would wait for a list of various recipients to be forwarded to him from South Africa by the head of the criminal group.

“Our operatives did due diligence by conducting a thorough search of the warehouse, which led to the recovery of 56 similar cartons of the cutting machines that were used previously as modes of concealment to ferry heroin into Nigeria.

“There is a parallel between this seizure and the September 18, 2022 seizure of 2,139.5 kg of cocaine in an Ikorodu warehouse.

That was the biggest singular cocaine seizure in the history of NDLEA. This present burst is the largest single seizure at the MMIA so far.”

While commending the synergy and support the NDLEA enjoys from other stakeholders like customs, the military, immigration, police, DSS, NSCDC, FRSC, NAFDAC, aviation security, and the media, as well as international partners, Marwa said the agency won’t relent in its offensive action targeting drug barons and their networks.

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