N193bn Worth Of Cocaine Seized In Lagos Warehouse
OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have busted a major warehouse in a secluded estate in Ikorodu area of Lagos, in what appears to be the country’s biggest singular haul, where 1.8tons (1,855 kilograms) of the illicit drug worth over $278, 250,000 (the equivalent of about N194, 775,000,000 in street value were seized.
Not less than four drug barons, including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager, were nabbed in the well-coordinated and intelligence-led operation that lasted two days across different locations in Lagos State.
The cartel’s leaders taken into custody by the agency include Soji Jibril, 69, from Ibadan, Oyo state; Emmanuel Chukwu, 65, from Ekwulobia, Anambra State; Wasiu Akinade, 53, from Ibadan, Oyo State; Sunday Oguntelure, 53, from Okitipupa, Ondo State and Kelvin Smith, 42, from Kingston, Jamaica.
They are all alleged members of an international drugs syndicate that the NDLEA has been trailing since 2018.
Located at 6 Olukuola Crescent, Solebo Estate in Ikorodu, the warehouse, according to a statement by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, was raided on Sunday, September 18, while the barons were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between Sunday night and Monday, September 19.
According to the statement: “Preliminary investigation reveals the Class A drugs were warehoused in the residential estate from where the cartel was trying to sell them to buyers in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. They were stored in 10 travel bags and 13 drums.
“While commending all the officers and men of the agency involved in the extensive investigation, including those of the American Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA), Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) said the burst is a historical blow to the drug cartels and a strong warning that they’ll all go down if they fail to realise that the game has changed.”
