National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Lagos-based car parts seller, Ejiofor Chiwuzie, for trying to send heroin and marijuana hidden inside LED lamps and metal sofa legs.
According to the agency, Ejiofor wanted to smuggle the drugs out of Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
Mr. Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media, said: “Inside the LED lamps and sofa legs, we found 37 packets of heroin weighing 1.10 kilograms and four blocks of loud, a type of cannabis, weighing 1.20 kilograms.”
Ejiofor got caught after the airport officials found his Cargo. He was arrested at the Trade Fair complex in Lagos, where he sells spare parts. The cargo, which was going to Liberia, had auto parts, LED lamps, and electronics, with drugs hidden inside.
The NDLEA quickly arrested two freight agents who helped ship the cargo. Ejiofor was identified as the main person behind the smuggling plan.
Drug smuggling attempts
The NDLEA is working hard to stop drug trafficking. They have blocked many attempts to send illegal drugs hidden in packages to different countries. Some of the drugs they found include heroin, cannabis, tramadol pills, and other controlled substances.
For example, in one big operation, NDLEA officers stopped 2.3 kilograms of loud cannabis hidden in a box going to Thailand. They also found 749 grams of tramadol pills hidden in the soles of shoes going to Oman. Other drugs like pentazocine injections and co-codamol tablets were found going to the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia.
In another important arrest, the NDLEA caught Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, a community leader in Badagry, for having 226 kilograms of cannabis in his home. His family, including his two wives and a son, were also involved in the illegal drug trade.
The NDLEA made more arrests in other states. In Kogi, they stopped a truck with over 2,000 kilograms of cannabis on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway.
In Lagos, the NDLEA found nearly 10 kilograms of cannabis and a dangerous mix called “monkey tail” (a blend of cannabis and dry gin). In Rivers State, they intercepted 1,500 cartons of cough syrup with codeine, totaling 150,000 bottles, at the Onne Port.