Auto parts dealer, businesswoman arrested over UK-bound opioids, cocaine in custard

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested an Ibadan, Oyo state-based businesswoman, Adewunmi Adebola Dorcas and an auto parts dealer, Arinze Ora over attempts to export consignments of opioids and cocaine to London, United Kingdom and Congo Brazzaville respectively.

NDLEA officers at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos had on Friday 6th September 2024 intercepted a cargo going to the United Kingdom. A thorough search of the consignment revealed 924 bottles of codeine-based syrup weighing 135.70kg and 5,250 tablets of Rohypnol were hidden in cartons of foodstuffs.

A statement released by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the freight agent, Owojori Olanrewaju Sunday who presented the cargo for export was promptly arrested.

‘’Further investigation led to the arrest of another suspect, Adewunmi Akeem Temitope, who claimed that his mother, 58-year-old Mrs. Adewunmi Adebola Dorcas sent the consignment to him from Ibadan to deliver to the agent. A follow-up operation on Saturday 7th September led to the arrest of Mrs Adewunmi in Ibadan where she deals in foodstuffs and cargo export.

In his statement, the agent Owojori confessed that he has been working for Mrs Adewunmi to export cargoes to the UK, adding that he was paid N2,411,000.00 for the job, while he was paid N2.1million for a similar consignment handled for the businesswoman earlier.”

In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the same export shed of the Lagos airport on Wednesday, September 11th intercepted some cartons of auto spare parts and checkers powder custard going to Congo Brazzaville on Ethiopian Airlines. Babafemi mentioned that a diligent search of the cargo led to the discovery of 300 grams of cocaine concealed in the containers of Checkers powder custard packed together with some auto parts.

‘’A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the sender of the consignment, Arinze Ora, who deals in auto parts at Shop 12, Block 7 Aspanda Trade Fair Auto Parts Wing, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos

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Meanwhile, operatives of a Special Operations Unit of NDLEA on Tuesday 10th September arrested two brothers: Ikechukwu Ikeabba and Ugochukwu Ikeabba who are sponsors of drug traffickers who specialise in exporting drugs by ingestion to Vietnam. Their arrest followed a diligent investigation of an earlier arrest of an Onitsha, Anambra state based-businessman, Ibeanusi Solomon Nosike, who excreted 68 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.282 kilograms after 12 days of excretion observation after he was arrested at the local wing of the Lagos airport by NDLEA operatives.

The 36-year-old Ibeanusi was arrested in the early hours of Thursday 8th August 2024 at the old domestic terminal of the Lagos airport while attempting to board the first flight out of Lagos to Abuja where he was scheduled to join a Qatar Airways flight to Vietnam at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja at about 10am the same day.

Another Vietnam-bound businessman, 54-year-old Paul Okwuy Mbadugha was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Abuja airport on Monday 12th August 2024 during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Hanoi, Vietnam via Doha after he tested positive for ingestion of cocaine. After four days under observation, Mbadugha ingested a total of 88 wraps of the illicit drug with a gross weight of 1.710 kilograms.

At the time of the arrest of the two kingpins, the Ikeabba brothers, they were caught with 87 wraps of cocaine dummies used in training intending swallowers.