A trans-border drug dealer, Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, with three drums of crystal methamphetamine, locally called Mkpuru Mmiri, believed to have been imported from India.
The consignment weighing 90 kilograms and loaded into a commercial bus with registration number RSH 691XC at Ojuelegba in Lagos, was intercepted during a stop and search operation along Umuahia – Ikot Ekpene highway on Saturday 6th August 2022.
The dangerous drug packed 30kg in each drum was meant for Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong, who was arrested in a follow-up operation at Oron beach in Oron. The recovered Meth drums were meant for onward delivery to the Republic of Cameroon.
The NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said: “This comes on the heels of four seizures of the same illicit substance weighing 4.074kg going to Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines with a 3kg cannabis Sativa heading to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates at some courier companies in Lagos. The consignments were concealed in body cream, hot burner iron and beads.”
Similarly, in Sokoto, a 90-year-old retired soldier, Usman Adamu was arrested on 3rd August in Mailalle, Sabon Birni LGA for supplying bandits’ illicit drugs. At the time of his arrest, the suspect was caught with 5.1kg of Cannabis Sativa.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a 37-year-old indigene of Ovia LGA, Edo State, and resident in Italy; Solo Osamede has been arrested for ingesting 41 wraps of heroin.
Babafemi said: “He was nabbed and taken into custody for excretion while attempting to board a Turkish Airline flight to Milan, Italy via Istanbul, Turkey on Saturday 30th July. The swallowed wraps of the illicit drug were recovered in four excretions, which the suspect completed on Monday 1st August. In the same vein, a female passenger Jatau Lydia Lami was arrested at the Lagos airport for attempting to export 1,700 tablets of Tramadol 225mg concealed in her luggage to Istanbul, Turkey via a Turkish Airline flight on Sunday 31st July. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, a mother of three, hails from Zango Kataf LGA, Kaduna State and lives in Istanbul, Turkey with her family. She blamed her action on pressure to raise N5million ransom to free her mother from the captivity of bandits who kidnapped her since June.”
