No fewer than 4,560 kilograms of skunk have been seized by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during a raid in Lagos, Adamawa and Osun states.
NDLEA agents also stormed a skucchies factory in Ogun and apprehended four members of a drug gang, including two church leaders, a female courier company employee, and another lady involved in the trafficking of the dangerous narcotic fentanyl in Delta.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed the arrest, said “The bust of the fentanyl cartel operating from Warri, Delta state is coming barely a month after two members of another syndicate: Odoh Collins Oguejiofor and Oliver Chigozie Uzoma were arrested at Ogbogwu market, Onitsha Head Bridge, Onitsha South LGA, Anambra State.
“It followed months of intelligence-led investigation of the syndicates behind the dangerous drug, which is 100 times more potent than heroin and currently responsible for over 70% overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and non, fatal overdoses in the United States.
“Two officials of Christ Mercyland Deliverance Ministries (aka Mercy City Church), Warri, Delta state: Adewale Abayomi Ayeni, 39, and Ebipakebina Appeal, 41, linked to two intercepted consignments of the illicit drug have been arrested in Warri.
“While Ayeni is one of those managing the prayer call centre of the church, Ebipakebina is in charge of movement of international guests from the airport to the church”.
In the course of the investigation of the intercepted shipment, two female accomplices were also arrested in Warri. They include Naomi David, 28, who is a staff of United Parcel Services (UPS), and Stacy Njideka, also known as Nkiruka, 27, who is a business associate of Ayeni.
In the same vein, officers of the Agency on Wednesday 5th July, intercepted a Toyota Hilux vehicle marked EPE 863 XD along Ngurore-Mayo Belwa road, Adamawa State.
Inspection of the van, which had two occupants: Kelvin Efe, 51, and Christian Ogaga, 42, reveals that 118 cartoons of Indomie Noodles packs were used to conceal 544 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa, weighing 408kg and intended for distribution in Yola, Mubi, and Gombe
While On Saturday, July 1st, NDLEA operatives detained a suspect, Segun Odeyemi, who was transporting 89 giant bags of skunk weighing a total of 3,842kg in his truck in the Eleganza area of Ajah, Lekki.
Similarly, an abandoned J5 Peugeot bus marked AAA 521 SQ with bags of fresh pepper used to conceal 25 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 300.5kg was confiscated along the Akure-Ilesa expressway in Osun state on Friday 7th July after its occupants spotted NDLEA officials on patrol.
