Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted various quantities of ephedrine, a strain of cannabis sativa (skunk) and nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas concealed in semovita packs and dry pepper at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
In a statement on Sunday, spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said that the drugs were being shipped to South Africa and Kenya by members of Transnational Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTO), with some of them promptly arrested and their properties seized.
Babafemi further disclosed that the agency, through credible intelligence, on Friday intercepted a notorious drug trafficker, Suleiman Babatunde Oba, who is a member of a cartel distributing cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and ephedrine between Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, and Europe.
He said, “Suleiman was arrested while attempting to board a Rwanda Air flight to South Africa with two boxes loaded with ephedrine sealed in semovita packs. The recovered substance is a precursor chemical and active ingredient in the production of methamphetamine.
“Suleiman who holds a South African passport, is married to a South African lady and has lived there for over 20 years, identified Hakeem Babatunde Salami who equally lives in Lagos and South Africa as the head of the drug ring.
“A follow-up raid in the house of Salami located at 75 Wosilatu Dawodu Street, Ijesha, Aguda area of Surulere, Lagos on Monday 28th August revealed that he had fled the country on the same day Suleiman was arrested.”
He added, ” a white Toyota Venza car with registration number LSR 410 HT, a Mercedes Benz SUV marked LSD 998HP, phones and vital documents needed for further investigation were recovered from the house.”
Similarly, the Agency said it had seized 25.60kg ephedrine from a trafficker, Arua Emmanuel Onwuka, at the Lagos airport, a seizure that has also been traced to the same cartel whose identified members are currently on the run, noting that an official of the airport, Godwin Shedrack (a.k.a Goddy), fingered as a member of the syndicate, is also under investigation.