The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said it has arrested fleeing Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Alhaji Ademola Afolabi Kazeem (a.k.a Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem Muhammed).
His arrest came 10 days after the suspect was declared wanted over offences bordering on exportation and trafficking of illicit drugs as well as money laundering.
According to the anti- narcotics agency’s Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a communication to CASEFILE on Sunday, the man failed to honour NDLEA invitations and an order granted by a Federal High Court, FHC, in Lagos, before he was declared wanted.
Information has it that the wanted drug kingpin was uncovered as the sponsor of some traffickers arrested by the anti-narcotics agency in their recent attempt to export cocaine to Dubai, UAE and other destinations outside Nigeria.
The search for him however paid off on Thursday, November 10, when he was successfully taken into custody where he is currently being interviewed.
Trouble started for the suspect, following the arrest of one of his mules, Bolujoko Muyiwa Babalola, a Lagos BRT driver on June 27, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, when he named Alhaji Ademola Kazeem, alias Adekaz as the owner of the 900grams of cocaine he ingested.
Because of his failure to honour invitations sent to him, the Agency approached a FHC, with three prayers: to attach and seal his identified properties in choice areas of Lagos Island and Ibadan; declare him wanted and block his bank account with a cash balance of Two Hundred and Seventeen Million Naira (N217,000,000.00), all of which were granted.
Recall that this medium reports on November 6, about the arrest of two Pakistanis; Asif Muhammed, 45 and Hussain Naveed, 57, at the Lagos airport with 8 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a sound system while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Lahole, Pakistan via Doha on Saturday, November 5.
Now, NDLEA operatives has also arrested a businesswoman, Okefun Darlington Chisom over her links with the suspects.
Also, an automobile parts dealer, Omeje Oliver (a.k.a David Mark) who was arrested on Monday, October 31 in Enugu where he fled to after abandoning his business at the Auto Spare Parts & Machinery Dealers Association, ASPAMDA, Trade Fair Complex Lagos since April 16, in connection with the seizure of 600 grams of heroin concealed inside soles of lady’s footwears going to Liberia, has again been linked to another drug seizure.
A further checks about him, on the Agency’s database reveals Omeje was also involved in a case of 1.580kg Methamphetamine that was seized from one Victor Nwobodo Friday, who was arrested at the MMIA during his aborted trip to Jakarta, Indonesia on February 6, 2018.
Babafemi stated that charges have been filed against the suspect at a court in respect of the old seizure and the recent one.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives attached to the SAHCO import shed of the MMIA Lagos have intercepted another consignment of Tramadol from Karachi, Pakistan.
The consignment: a total of 6 cartons comprising 497,900 tablets of Royal Tramaking brand of Tramadol 225mg with a gross weight of 304.90 kilograms were recovered after a joint examination by stakeholders on Friday, November 11.
Operatives in Ogun State in the early hours of Saturday, November 12 raided a warehouse at Ogere area of Ikene LGA where they seized 273 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 3,533 kilograms (3.533tons) from a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jesutofunmi Solomon.
This came on the heels of the seizure of 176kgs of C/S at Ogere trailer park on Wednesday, November 9, and the destruction of 15 hectares of cannabis plantation in Gbamgbam area of the state.
In the same vein, operatives in Osun State have raided a cannabis plantation at Obada sawmill, Owena Ijesa in Oriade LGA where they destroyed 1.2hectares, recovered 2,823kgs of processed C/S and arrested 13 suspects on Sunday, November 6.
Yet, operatives seized 78kgs of cannabis from a dealer, Beauty Godwin at Ofosu along Benin-Ore express road, and another 264kgs from Abdul Rasheed Mohammed, and Abdul Rasheed Haruna at Sanusi camp 2 in Owo, Ondo while in Rivers State, anti-narcotics officers of the Agency arrested Damion Onuoha during a raid at Elele Alimini community, Emuoha LGA, where he was found with 1.6kgs of Methamphetamine as well as monetary exhibit amounting to six hundred and fifty thousand, seven hundred naira (N650,700.00).
Also, the NDLEA in a joint operation with the military at Habour road, Port Harcourt City also led to the arrest of Sandra David and seizure of different quantities of cocaine and heroin as well as two million, fifty five thousand, seven hundred and fifty naira (N2,055,750.00) cash exhibit from her home.
Operatives also located and destroyed 10 clusters of cannabis sativa farms measuring 14 hectares at Igwalor forest, Uhunmwonde LGA where five bags of processed C/S weighing 47.7kgs were recovered, while a raid at Obadan village, in the same LGA also led to the recovery 11 bags of cannabis sativa seeds weighing 399kgs and 34 bags of processed substance weighing 431kgs, bringing the total weight to 830kgs in Edo State.
Meanwhile, two suspects, Enododia Sunday and Osayaba Paul were arrested at the scene.
These onslaught on suspected criminal elements has however been commended by the agency’s boss, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa for the successful operations in the past week.
For his officers and men of the MMIA, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Rivers and Edo Commands of the Agency, Buba Marwa (Retd), urged them and their counterparts across the country to intensify the heat on drug barons and cartels.
