Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a consignment of Colorado, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in boxing kits imported from the United States At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos.
The weeklong intelligence-led operation culminated in the arrest of 38-year-old Olorunfunmi Saheed Olakunle on January 6th, who admitted to distributing the psychoactive substance across Lagos on behalf of his US-based childhood friend, Sagir Salami.
This was made known in a statement signed by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, shared on the agency’s Facebook page on Sunday.
NDLEA also disclosed the arrest of 28-year-old Bilkisu Suleman, a female supplier of ammunition to bandits. She was apprehended on January 3rd along the Zaria-Kano expressway with 249 rounds of live ammunition concealed in her handbag. Bilkisu was en route to deliver the ammunition to a bandit in Kakumi village, Katsina state.
The NDLEA conducted additional successful operations in Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, Kano, Borno, and Osun, resulting in various arrests and drug seizures.
The statement in part said, “A weeklong intelligence-led operation to get the receiver arrested was consummated on Saturday 6th January following the successful tracking and arrest of 38-year-old Olorunfunmi Saheed Olakunle who distributes the dangerous psychoactive substance to dealers across Lagos state.
“The consignment had arrived in the country on Monday 1st January via Cairo on Egypt Airlines flight marked as boxing kits.
“According to Saheed, he delivers such consignments to different recipients whenever his childhood friend, US-based Sagir Salami sends them. The latest shipment has a total weight of 1.80 kilograms.
“Meanwhile, a 28-year-old female supplier of ammunition to bandits, Bilkisu Suleman came top on the list of twelve (12) other suspects arrested by NDLEA operatives in new year interdiction operations in Kaduna, Lagos, Niger, Kogi, Kano, Borno, and Osun states.
“Bilkisu was arrested on Wednesday 3rd January by NDLEA officers on patrol along Zaria Kano expressway in possession of 249 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition concealed in a black nylon bag kept in her lady handbag.
“She was on her way to deliver the ammunition to an identified bandit in Kakumi village, Katsina state when she was nabbed after which she was transferred to the Kaduna state command of the Nigeria Police Force for further investigation.
“The military authorities at the Bonny camp cantonment in Lagos on Tuesday 2nd January transferred a suspect, Francis Suru, 37 and 63 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,104.2 kilograms and a truck to the Lagos state command of NDLEA.
“The suspect and the drug exhibits were earlier intercepted by NDLEA officers on 12th December 2023 close to the gate of the military cantonment in Bonny Camp, Victoria Island.
“Some armed escorts however resorted to sporadic shooting to obstruct the operation, a development which attracted soldiers from the cantonment, who eventually intervened and took custody of the consignment and suspect before transferring them to the Agency.”
Credit: Facebook | NDLEA
