70-Year-Old Nigerian Grandma, Son Arrested For Drug Trafficking In Lagos

 

The Lagos Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) found 258 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup and eight cartons of codeine tablets inside two shops - Chex Mat Global Link Limited - at the Trade Fair complex in the Ojo area of Lagos.

The narcotics agency said it busted the shops for illegal drugs on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, during a search operation.

According to the agency, the cartons contain 49,200 bottles of codeine syrup and 46,200 tablets of the same opioid.

It added that on Thursday (December 21), the following day, NDLEA personnel raided a house in the Mushin area of Lagos where a 70-year-old grandma, Selifat Funke Cole and her son, Babajide Ayorinde Cole were arrested with 117.900kg of cannabis sativa.

It also said it thwarted desperate attempts by transnational criminal organisations to flood Nigerian communities with large quantities of assorted illicit drugs during the Yuletide.

A statement signed by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the agency also intercepted millions of tramadol 225mg pills, thousands of codeine syrup bottles and bags of Canadian Loud in consignments arriving in the country ahead of the Christmas celebration.

It said, “At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, all tricks employed by the drug syndicates to smuggle into the country seven million five hundred thousand (7,500,000) pills of tramadol 225mg through the NAHCO import shed of the airport were frustrated by NDLEA officers with the cooperation of men of the Nigeria Customs and other stakeholders.

“The consignment which was taken into custody on Friday 22nd December came onboard a Turkish airline with no country of manufacture or origin. Apart from being the first time such shipment would be seized on the airlines flight, it was equally the first of such coming from Hamburg, Germany.

“The 7.5 million tramadol 225mg pills were also specially designed and packaged as tamol-x concealed in 100 big cartons weighing 7,150kg, which arrived in the country on 11th December and placed under surveillance until last Friday. Preliminary test of the tablets proved positive to tramadol hydrochloride.

It said that a “consignment of spare parts that originated from Asaba, Delta state and going to Malviya Nagar, New Delhi, India was intercepted at the cargo terminal of the Lagos airport on Wednesday, 20th December”. 

It said, “NDLEA sniffer dogs were deployed to examine the spare parts. The dogs were able to identify the particular shipment containing illicit drug concealment, which a physical examination later confirmed to be cocaine measuring 200grams.

“Not less than 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, with a gross weight of 35kg were seized by operatives of the Tincan Command of NDLEA from a container, marked BEAU 4993525 coming from Toronto via Montreal, Canada. The container contained four used vehicles, including a Honda CRV 2006 model, where bags of the psychoactive substance were concealed.

“In the FCT Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Monday 18th December intercepted a waybill consignment of 25,000 pills of tramadol, while their counterparts in Anambra arrested two suspects at Onitsha head bridge. 

“Ejiro Emmanuel was driving a bus marked EFR 31 XB conveying 61,100 tramadol capsules; 1, 025 bottles of codeine; 1,350 tablets of rohypnol and 46grams of designer drug, while Daniel Ogbiyoyo was caught in a bus marked SAP 540 YK conveying 55,950 tramadol capsules; 3,117 bottles of codeine; 1,530 tablets of swinol and 1,350 tablets of rohypnol.

“Operatives in Delta state on Monday 18th December in a joint operation with the military raided the home of a drug kingpin, Chukwuma Steven Eneriku at Okanaro street, Abbi town, where bags of cannabis weighing 353kg were recovered. Same day, NDLEA operatives in Enugu recovered bags of cannabis sativa weighing 435.1kg in a warehouse located at Trans Ekulu, Enugu East LGA.

“In Edo state, five persons dressed in NDLEA operational jackets were arrested with a fabricated gun and pistol carved from wood following intelligence that they were impersonating officers of the Agency and conducting illegal operations. The suspects include: Sebastine Asekiamhe, 22; Raymond Otaru, 28; Emmanuel Wisdom, 23; Solomon Edogamhe, 27; and Bonaventure Oghibui, 22. While some others in NDLEA jackets escaped, a bottle of codeine-based syrup was found with those arrested.”