Funke Busari, Lagos
Drug traffickers dare going many steps higher and the agency is catching up with them in their new tactics.
The latest is the fresh raids on online drug traffickers in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, during which a young lady and her boyfriend as well as eight others were arrested and assorted drugs recovered from them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
A statement from the Agency’s Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi said the first suspect, 28-year-old Ese Patrick who sells her illicit substances through Instagram account; Ese’sOvenSecret, was tracked and arrested with some pieces of brownies ordered online by NDLEA’s undercover agents, on 21st May, 2021 and delivered by herself and her boyfriend in a Mercedes Benz car.
Babafemi stated further that a follow-up operation at her residence led to the seizure of 400 grams of Arizona weed, which she uses in baking the brownies.
According to him, further investigation led to the arrest of one Iyama Patrick, with 450 grams of Arizona weed. He supplies Ese the cannabis she uses.
He stated further that, a day earlier, a motorcycle belonging to a courier company, Sky Port was abandoned by a despatch rider in Wuse Zone 4 upon sighting NDLEA’s outpost in the area. The motorcycle was later found to contain several pinches of crack cocaine (a.k.a Challie), and some envelopes of Arizona meant for delivery.
Another online drug trafficker, Peter Nkejika was arrested on Monday 24th May 2021 following an arrest of a despatch rider with some quantity of Loud, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis.
Each portion of loud costs N30,000 and the rider was caught with 17 portions for delivery.
In another Operations on Tuesday 25th May, NDLEA operatives intercepted two online drug transactions and arrested two despatch riders with some quantities of cocaine and Loud already packaged for delivery recovered from them.
In all, five despatch riders and a lady, Dolapo Benjamin who owns motorcycles involved in door to door distribution of drugs and drug based edibles; cakes and brownies were arrested while six despatch motorcycles involved in door to door drug distribution were seized.
Also seized from them were assorted drugs; Cocaine, Crack/Challie, Molly/Ecstasy, Skunk, Brownies and Loud, which is the most expensive psychoactive variant of cannabis in town.
In a related development, on the 27th May 2021, operatives intercepted 30 compressed parcels of cannabis, heading to Ningi, Bauchi State, as well as Rohypnol and Tramadol meant for the FCT.
The drugs weighing 105.5 kilograms were seized along Gwagwalada-Abuja road, in a luxury bus.
Three persons were arrested in connection with the exhibits, while two more despatch motorcycles were seized with some quantities of cocaine and cannabis on Saturday, May 29 as the raids across the FCT intensify.
In another development, Operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations, DOGI, of the agency have intercepted 445 grams of Methamphetamine going to New Zealand and concealed inside USB chargers and hair attachments, with another 450 grams of cannabis sativa going to UAE and concealed inside local soap containers at a courier company in Lagos.
In the same vein, 125 grams of heroin concealed inside academic thesis books was seized at another firm while 2kg of cannabis sativa hidden inside tractor’s balloon was intercepted at another courier company also in Lagos.
Babafemi disclosed that following the latest arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has directed the FCT Command of the Agency to immediately embark on stop and search of commercial despatch riders across the nation’s capital city to curb the online drug trafficking trend in the FCT.
