Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a trans-border drug dealer, Pastor Anietie Okon Effiong, with three drums of crystal methamphetamine, locally called mkpuru mmiri, believed to have been imported from India.
The consignment, weighing 90kg and loaded into a commercial bus with registration number RSH 691XC at Ojuelegba in Lagos, was intercepted during a stop and search operation along the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene highway on August 6, 2022.
The spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday in Abuja that 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.
“This comes on the heels of four seizures of the same illicit substance weighing 4.074kg going to Australia, Indonesia and Philippines with a 3kg cannabis Sativa heading to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at some courier companies in Lagos.
“The consignments were concealed in body cream, hot burner iron and beads,” Babafemi said.
Meanwhile, in Sokoto, a retired soldier, Usman Adamu, 90, was arrested on August 3 in Mailalle, Sabon Birni LGA for supplying bandits with illicit drugs.
At the time of his arrest, the suspect had 5.1 kg of cannabis Sativa with him.
Also, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, a 37-year-old indigene of Ovia LGA, Edo State and resident in Italy, Solo Osamede, was arrested for ingesting 41 wraps of heroin.
He was arrested and taken into custody while attempting to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Milan, Italy via Istanbul, Turkey on July 30.
The swallowed wraps of the illicit drug were recovered in four excretions, which the suspect completed on August 1.
Similarly, 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 Airlines flight on July 31.
