NDLEA Makes Record Cocaine Seizure at Kano Airport, Arrests Trader With 256 Wraps

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus, an import and export trader, for attempting to smuggle 256 wraps of cocaine, weighing six kilograms, into Nigeria through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano.

NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi stated that this seizure, made on Sunday, December 15, 2024, during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is the largest interception of cocaine at the Kano airport since the establishment of the MAKIA Command in 2006.

“Olisaka, who claims to be involved in the import and export business, was subjected to body screening, during which he was found to have concealed hundreds of cocaine pellets in his body,” Babafemi said.

READ ALSO: Palliative Stampedes: Pyrates Confraternity Wants FG To Tackle Hunger

In a separate incident, an ex-convict, Olanrewaju Bada Akorede, was also arrested while attempting to export a consignment of Rohypnol to South Africa through the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos. Babafemi explained that the drugs were hidden in a cargo containing gari, shoes, men’s singlets, and other items. Olanrewaju had previously been convicted of a similar crime earlier in 2024 after being arrested on December 12 for attempting to ship 4.90 kg of tramadol and 2.10 kg of Rohypnol to South Africa. He received a two-year prison sentence, which included an option to pay a fine, and he was released after paying.

In another case, Cynthia Akaeen, an Italy-based businesswoman, was arrested on Wednesday, December 18, while trying to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Italy via Addis Ababa. Babafemi reported that she was intercepted at the departure point of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport during the clearance of passengers. A total of 9,190 tablets of various brands of tramadol, weighing six kilograms, were recovered from her. According to her, she was promised 1,000 Euros upon the successful delivery of the consignment in Italy.

Additionally, NDLEA operatives recovered approximately 418,330 pills of tramadol (225 mg, 100 mg) and tapentadol (250 mg), along with 8,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup, from a warehouse at a building material market in Onitsha, Anambra State, on Tuesday, December 17, following credible intelligence.

At the Tincan Island port in Lagos, 180,000 bottles of codeine syrup were also recovered on December 18 from a container that originated in Mundra, India. This seizure occurred during a joint examination by NDLEA, Customs, DSS, police, and other security agencies, leading to the arrest of a suspect, Makata Emmanuel, who was the consignee.

On December 16, a total of 293,000 capsules of tramadol, a pistol, and 26 rounds of 7.65mm live ammunition were recovered from Ishaya Wabba, 54, and Samaila Audu, 44, who were arrested in a Toyota Sienna bus at Pompomari Bypass, Maiduguri, Borno State. Another suspect, Sanusi Abdul Hamid, 37, was apprehended in the Gwange area of Maiduguri with 260,000 capsules of the same substance on December 16.

A 35-year-old suspect, Modu Kolera, was arrested on December 18 in the Custom area of Maiduguri with 8.5 kg of cannabis, 5,000 pills of tramadol, 7,500 tablets of diazepam, 14,500 tablets of Exol, and 50 liters of ‘suck and die,’ a new psychoactive substance, in his Volkswagen Golf car.

Additionally, Gafar Saminu, 30, was arrested on December 18 with 33.5 kilograms of cannabis sativa in Ayete, Oyo State. Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Enugu raided the Aria New Market on the same day, recovering 94 kg of the same substance.

In Lagos, a consignment of 32 kilograms of ephedrine, a precursor chemical, headed to the Southeast, was recovered on December 16 from the Young Shall Grow Luxurious Vehicles Park in Maza-Maza.