The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded sweeping operational successes nationwide, arresting a Brazilian national with over ₦3 billion worth of heroin at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, intercepting explosives bound for northern states, and recovering massive quantities of illicit drugs across multiple states.
Director of media and advocacy Femi Babafemi in a statement indicated that the Agency’s operatives on Friday, January arrested Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides, a 30-year-old Brazilian, upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight, after intelligence revealed 30.09kg of heroin concealed in factory-sealed coffee packs — the largest heroin seizure ever recorded at the Abuja airport.
In Lagos, officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport intercepted two passengers bound for Istanbul with 3,990 pills of tapentadol and tramaking, while the Marine Command seized 1,848kg of Ghana Loud cannabis from a boat at Jakande Beach, Lekki.
Security concerns heightened as NDLEA operatives intercepted 140 packets of explosives en route to Kano and Kaduna, leading to multiple arrests. In Borno State, 179,590 pills of tramadol and diazepam hidden in charcoal sacks were recovered in operations aimed at cutting drug supplies to terror networks.
Further arrests and seizures spanning Ekiti, Edo, Kano, Oyo, Benue, Delta, Ondo, Lagos and the FCT involved large quantities of skunk, opioids, codeine syrup and other illicit substances, with suspects ranging from youths to elderly traffickers.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers for their professionalism and urged sustained intensity in drug supply and demand reduction efforts nationwide, as the Agency also expanded its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across schools and communities.
NDLEA Busts N3bn Heroin Syndicate, Seizes Explosives, Drugs in Nationwide Raids
