NDLEA Dismantles Trans-Border Drug Cartel, Arrests Four in Onitsha, Keffi

OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, arresting four members in intelligence-led operations.

During these operations, tramadol pills worth millions of naira were recovered from the bumper and false bottom of Sienna buses heading to border towns.

Following weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance by the NDLEA’s Directorate of Intelligence, operatives intercepted a Sienna bus with registration number ABJ 452 HG along the Nasarawa-Toto road in Keffi, Nasarawa State, at 6:00 am on Tuesday, 27th January 2025.

Two suspects, Zahradeen Adamu (27) and Abubakar Usman (44), were arrested in the vehicle, which was travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State. A second Sienna bus, driven by Abba Usman (48), was also intercepted.

Upon searching both vehicles, specially constructed steel compartments were discovered in the rear bumper and spare tyre compartments. A total of 190,960 tramadol pills were found concealed within these hidden compartments.

Investigations revealed that Kingsley Mbaeri, a dealer based in Onitsha, Anambra State, supplied the seized tramadol consignment. A swift follow-up operation led to Mbaeri’s arrest at his residence on Uga Street, Onitsha, on 29th January. Two vehicles—a Toyota Corolla with registration number FGG 948 MF and a Toyota Sienna with registration number GWA 23 HH—were seized from his home.

In a separate interdiction, NDLEA operatives from the Intelligence Department intercepted a commercial bus from Onitsha at the Abaji checkpoint, FCT Abuja, on 4th February.

A passenger, Chimezie Henry Ojingwa (32), was arrested while carrying motor spare parts in a black bag. Upon searching the bag, operatives recovered 404.47 grams of methamphetamine, 506.49 grams of Loud (a synthetic cannabis strain), and 262.32 grams of dimethyl sulfone, a precursor substance used in meth production. These substances had been carefully concealed within the motor parts.

In Cross River State, NDLEA officers patrolling the Ogoja-Abakaliki road in Yahe intercepted a truck on Thursday, 13th February, recovering 170,000 tramadol pills. The truck was driven by Paul Chukwudi (31). Meanwhile, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, operatives recovered 85,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup from a container imported from India on Tuesday, 11th February.

Elsewhere, NDLEA operatives in Borno State arrested two suspects, Halilu Isa and Gambo Umaru, on Bama Road in Maiduguri on Friday, 14th February. They were found in possession of 60 compressed blocks of skunk (a high-potency cannabis strain) weighing 72kg. In Ekiti State, on Tuesday, 11th February, operatives raided a notorious drug den on Iloda Street, Ikole-Ekiti, arresting three suspects—Bala Muhammed (57), Yahaya Adamu (55), and Abdullahi Shehu (30). A total of 83kg of skunk was seized.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Samiat Olabisi Yussuf (28) on Saturday, 15th February, during a raid at her Lekki residence. The operation led to the recovery of 169.5 litres of nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, and 111 grams of Loud. In Taraba State, two suspects, Ibrahim Usman (40) and Solomon James (40), were caught with a total of 132.84kg of skunk. Usman was apprehended in Wukari with 88kg of Arizona and Ghana Loud, while James was arrested in Takanaba, Sabongari, Jalingo LGA, with 44.84kg of the same substance.

Meanwhile, NDLEA Commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, conducting sensitisation lectures and advocacy visits to religious centres, schools, workplaces, traditional rulers, and communities throughout the past week.

Some of the institutions involved included Government Technical College, Oku, Akwa Ibom; Future Leaders Academy, Kishi, Oyo State; Government Secondary School, Bashire, Sokoto; Ehere Comprehensive School, Ogbor Hill, Abia; Government Day Secondary School, Taura, Jigawa State; and Jesuit College, Agbado Ekiti, Ekiti State. Additionally, in Kano, the NDLEA delivered a WADA enlightenment lecture to married women in purdah at Markaz Umar Bn Khattab Centre, among others.

Commending the officers and operatives of the Directorate of Intelligence and NDLEA Commands in Apapa, Cross River, Borno, Ekiti, Taraba, and Lagos for their recent arrests and seizures, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), also praised personnel across all commands for intensifying WADA sensitisation efforts within their respective areas of responsibility.