ON Monday, Nigerians woke up to the news that operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized 13,451,466 Tramadol pills worth N8.86 billion in a residential building in the Victoria Garden City area of Lekki, Lagos State.
The recovery came some hours after a fire incident destroyed some cartons of the illicit drugs stored in the mansion.
This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and made available to the Nigerian Tribune.
Babafemi said, “About 13,451,466 pills of Tramadol 225mg worth N8,860,000,000 in street value have been recovered by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), from one of the mansions of Ugochukwu (surname withheld), in the highbrow residential estate, Victoria Garden City, Lekki area of Lagos.”
The suspect has been arrested.
“The arrest of Ugochukwu, who is the chairman of Autonation Motors Ltd, is coming barely two months after NDLEA uncovered a methamphetamine clandestine laboratory in the residence of a drug kingpin in the estate, Chris (surname withheld), who was arrested on Saturday, July 30, along with a chemist, Sunday Ukah, who cooked the illicit drug for him.
“At least, 258.74 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and various precursor chemicals used for the production of the toxic drug were recovered from Chris’s home during his arrest,” the agency added.
“A search of the expansive mansion led to the discovery of 443 cartons of Tramadol Hydrochloride 225mg, which contains 13, 451, 466 pills of the drug while some cartons were already burnt in a fire incident in the house same day.
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“Before his arrest, Ugochukwu, who hails from Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, has been on the agency’s watchlist as one of those behind the tramadol drug cartel in Nigeria.
“Preliminary investigation shows that he has about six mansions within the VGC, one of which he uses to warehouse the tramadol consignment, while he lives in the one at Plot Z-130 Road 67 and another as his office.
“Five exotic vehicles have also been located in two of his mansions, out of which two SUVs, including a bulletproof SUV have been removed to the agency’s facility.”
Meanwhile, the NDLEA’s fired-up campaign has led to the discovery of many dark secrets of barons, which have made busting them, in recent time, much easier, Nigerian Tribune learnt.
Intelligence reports showed that the leaders of the illicit drug community have been thrown into panic mode.
It was gathered through their conversations that they engage in heavy spiritual consultations in the course of transacting their dark business.
Nigerian Tribune equally gathered that some of the drug lords possess some names of top officers of the agency which they share with their spiritualists.
A top security source disclosed that security monitoring revealed that hired herbalists, marabouts and juju men, regularly ‘work’ on the list to enchant the officers therein.
“Yet our men are still busting them, despite their incantations which we know about,” a source volunteered. In tailing the barons, it was learnt that there is a major intelligence engagement against them, accounting for the recent spate of successful raids on their hideouts and hidden store-houses. The source sounded confident of even greater success, going forward.
“We discovered that they consult their marabouts and juju men, on when to move, how to move and even the exact time to move their wares, yet we are busting them. This, they couldn’t explain. Our men are on the trail of other barons” the security source volunteered.
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