Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an automobile spare parts dealer, Ejiofor Chiwuzie, for attempting to export consignments of heroin and a strain of cannabis known as “loud” in Lagos.
The arrest was confirmed in a statement by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja. Babafemi revealed that the illegal substances were intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, where they were concealed inside LED rechargeable lamps and sofa metal legs destined for export.
Ejiofor, who operates an auto parts business at the Trade Fair Complex in the Ojo area of Lagos, was arrested on Tuesday, September 24. This followed the seizure of his cargo at the airport, which included auto parts, rechargeable lamps, sofa metal legs, and electronics heading for Liberia.
“Concealed inside the LED lamps and sofa legs were 37 parcels of heroin weighing 1.10 kilograms and four blocks of loud with a total weight of 1.20 kilograms,” Babafemi stated.
A swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of two freight agents before Ejiofor, who had sent the consignment, was apprehended.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives thwarted multiple attempts by drug trafficking networks to export consignments of drugs, including loud, tramadol pills, co-codamol tablets, pentazocine injections, dihydrocodeine, and promethazine tablets through several courier companies.
The seized consignments were destined for various countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Thailand, and Oman.
“While 2.3 kilograms of loud hidden in a carton was bound for Thailand, 749 grams of tramadol concealed in the soles of locally made footwear were heading to Oman, and 60 ampoules of pentazocine injections were intended for the United States,” Babafemi revealed.
Other notable seizures included 200 co-codamol pills bound for Australia, and 700 tablets of dihydrocodeine, promethazine, and tramadol, along with 20 ampoules of pentazocine injections hidden in footwear soles, which were intercepted en route to the United Kingdom. Additionally, 58 ampoules of pentazocine injections concealed in female clothing were seized on their way to Canada.
According to Babafemi, all these seizures took place between Monday, September 23, and Tuesday, September 24, at various courier logistics firms in Lagos.
