NDLEA
By Joshua Uti
NDLEA Uncovers Clever Cocaine Smuggling Rings Using Lipsticks, Property Deed Bound for UK and Saudi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted shipments of cocaine ingeniously concealed in female cosmetics and official documents, bound for the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, respectively.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation uncovered the illicit consignments during a routine inspection at a logistics company in Lagos on Thursday.
The statement detailed that 420 grams of cocaine were discovered ingeniously embedded within 84 pieces of factory-sealed lipsticks destined for the United Kingdom, while an additional 280 grams of the same narcotic were found hidden inside a Certificate of Occupancy being shipped to Saudi Arabia.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers apprehended a notorious drug trafficker, Ajetsibo Emami, also known as Warri Kinsman, in the Ikeja area of Lagos on Saturday, June 28. The arrest followed a three-day surveillance and led to the confiscation of 681 pouches of Canadian Loud — a potent cannabis strain — weighing 414.2 kilograms from 24 jumbo-sized bags. Three suspected accomplices were also detained.
In another development, the agency uncovered a family-run drug syndicate. Ajah Johnson Uchenna, a businessman, along with his wife, Rosemary, their daughters, Stella and Ngozi, and a family associate, Okoro Elijah, were taken into custody after investigations revealed their involvement in a major drug distribution network in Lagos.
The couple was initially apprehended by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Friday, June 13, in the Ojo area, and subsequently handed over to the NDLEA along with 277.5 kilograms of cannabis (skunk). Further intelligence prompted a raid on the family’s residence and storage facility, leading to the discovery of an additional 231 kilograms of the same substance on Tuesday, July 1. Their daughters and Elijah were reportedly continuing operations in the couple’s absence.
Meanwhile, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, a suspect identified as Aburemi Hysent was caught on July 2 attempting to smuggle 7,660 tramadol pills concealed within food items bound for Italy. The suspect confessed to being offered €800 for the delivery.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, July 2, apprehended a frequent flyer, Aburemi Hysent, known for routinely transporting goods between Nigeria and Italy. Hysent was caught attempting to smuggle 7,660 tablets of tramadol (225mg and 200mg), ingeniously concealed within food items packed among other luggage intended for shipment to Italy. He confessed that he was promised a payment of €800 upon successful delivery of the illicit consignment.
In a separate operation on July 4, NDLEA officers also uncovered 52 forged travellers’ cheques hidden within children’s books. Valued at 17.7 million Australian dollars, the counterfeit cheques were en route to Malaysia via Istanbul. The illicit parcel was traced to a freight agent identified as Bolarinwa Saheed, who has since been transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
