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From Godwin Tsa Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, have intercepted and seized consignments of heroin and khat with a street value of over N10billion.
At the MMIA, Lagos, during cargo examination at SAHCO Import Shed, a freight agent had presented a cargo from South Africa with an Ethiopian Airline ET 3901 Airway Bill no: 071-40689003 for examination before NDLEA operatives attached to the beat.
A statement by the Director Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that the officers recently conducted a search of the cargo during which a suspected brownish substance was discovered concealed inside a red bag popularly called “Ghana-must-go”.
During a preliminary interview of the suspect, it was gathered that another freight agent sub-contracted the clearing job to him and, eventually, six suspects have, so far, been arrested in follow up operations, while the substance had tested positive to heroin with a total weight of 24.05kg.
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Another consignment in the consolidated cargo has also proved to be methamphetamine with a weight of 1.25kg, bringing the total weight of illicit drugs seized in the cargo to 25. 3kg. Though the cargo arrived at the airport in the evening of April 16, properly searched the following day, April 17, follow up operations leading to a number of arrests lasted till weekend.
The Commander, MMIA Command of the Agency, Ahmadu Garba, said, “the heroin and methamphetamine consignments were tagged in different names to deceive our officers, but we still uncovered them and neutralised their plot.”
In a similar development, the MAKIA Command of the agency in Kano has intercepted and seized a consignment meant for export to Manchester, United Kingdom, at its Cargo shed. A sample of the suspected substance in the consignment was sent for laboratory analysis, the result of which came out positive to khat, weighing 36kg. This brings the total weight of illicit drugs seized at the two international airports to 61.3kg.
The Ag. Commander, MAKIA Command, Mohammed Ajiya, said further investigations were still ongoing to ascertain the true owners of the illegal consignment.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, yesterday, commended the officers and men of the Lagos and Kano airports Commands of the agency for not allowing the illicit substances to escape their watch either into Nigeria or foreign jurisdictions.
