The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended two Qatar-based Nigerian drug traffickers – Eyah Nnamdi and Ugwuoke Oluchukwu – following the interception of their methamphetamine consignment at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
The spokesman for the agency, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said in a statement that Oluchukwu was the first to be arrested on June 8, during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways passengers at the departure point, Terminal 2 of the airport.
He also revealed that the NDLEA operatives discovered that the suspect was travelling to Doha with an Ivorian international passport bearing the name Hien Narcisse.
“A further scrutiny of his black carry-on luggage led to the discovery of a false bottom concealment of two parcels of crystalline substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, weighing 1.00 kilogramme.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a Nigerian who had gone to obtain an Ivorian passport for his travels,” he said.
He said the suspect confessed that he travelled to Qatar in August 2022 and returned about two months earlier to perfect arrangement for the movement of the drug consignment.
The NDLEA spokesman also said a further probe by the led to the discovery of the suspect’s Qatar-based senior partner in the illicit trade simply identified as Murphy who stayed in Eziani in Nsukka local government area of Enugu State.
“A prompt deployment of NDLEA operatives to Eziani community of Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, on June 10 led to the arrest of ‘Murphy’ whose true identity was later discovered to be Eyah Celestine Nnamdi,” he said.
Babafemi added that Nnamdi had lived in Indonesia for some years before relocating to Doha, Qatar.
Similarly, Babafemi said the agency’s operatives seized arrested a female pharmacist, Ikwebe Ori in Kaduna for alleged attempt to use forged documents to purchase and distribute six cartons of pentazocine injection with 2,000 ampules.
Babafemi said the suspect confessed she used fake documents of a Kaduna hospital to order the drug, which she planned to distribute in Kaduna, Abuja and Sokoto.
The consignment was initially intercepted at the local wing of the MMIA, Ikeja while being sent to Kaduna by a freight agent.
In Niger State, Babafemi said a total of 1,072 kilogrammes of cannabis were confiscated in two raids.
He said 726 kilogrammes of the illicit substance was recovered at Oyoyo Filling Station along Kaduna – Abuja highway.
He said four suspects: Aminu Mohammed, 50; Nasiru Mohammed, 30; Rabiu Haruna, 29, and Hamza Abubakar, 18 were arrested in connection with the find.
He also said NDLEA intercepted a Mercedes 1422 truck marked MKD 116ZM on its way from Umunede, Delta State with gallons of palm oil to be delivered at Garki market in Abuja.
He said the truck driver, Jekwe Udenze, 38, along with his two assistants – Gabriel Nzekwube, 43, and Chima Uzoma, 42, stopped over at Uromi, Edo State and loaded 19 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 346 kilogrammes to be delivered at Dumez Luxury Park along Kaduna road, Suleja to Ignatius Mokwe, 47.
“Both the driver and his two assistants as well as the owner of the illicit consignment, Ignatius Mokwe have been arrested,” he added.
