Abuja: The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted drug kingpin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while attempting to board a flight to Saudi Arabia.
The suspect, long on the agency’s radar, was intercepted following intelligence-led operations aimed at curbing transnational drug trafficking.
This is contained in a statement by the Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the arrest was made by the operatives of a special operations unit of the agency, after months of intelligence and surveillance on him and his criminal drug activities.
He said that the suspect had been arrested and charged with drug offences in the United Kingdom, but jumped bail and escaped to Nigeria.
“Soon after settling down in Lagos, he set up a massive clandestine laboratory in the Lekki area of the state for the production of Colorado, a deadly synthetic cannabis and other illicit substances.
“At about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, the suspect walked into the waiting hands of NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport while attempting to board his flight to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
“He was swiftly driven to his 17 Vincent Eku street, Ogombo, Lekki clandestine laboratory, which has been under surveillance for a while”.
According to him, the suspected drug lord was arrested with another suspect, found in the building.
“Operatives from the agency’s Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring were able to dismantle all installed laboratory equipment.
“This included precursor chemicals and already produced illicit substances, including Colorado, all weighing 148.3 kilograms,” he added.
Meanwhile, at the Sifax bonded terminal in Okota, Lagos, NDLEA operatives, in conjunction with men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies, discovered 105.5kg of Molly at the terminal on Friday.
Babafemi said the drug was discovered with another 500grams of methamphetamine during a joint examination of a shipment.
Also, in Niger state, NDLEA operatives on Thursday( Nov. 6 )intercepted a suspect in a Volvo truck, marked GRZ 872 XA, along Kainji-Wawa road.
Babafemi said that he was arrested while conveying 87,000 pills of tramadol and 72kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
Reacting, NDLEA Chairman, retired, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa commended the dismantling of yet another clandestine laboratory for the production of Colorado and other dangerous synthetic substances.
Marwa lauded the arrest of the kingpin behind it in Lekki, coming barely a week after similar actions were taken against another cartel in Ajao Estate, Lagos.
“This shows that these are no doubt the first in the series of what will be many strikes against merchants of death who prey on the weak in our communities.
