A suspected drug dealer was on Sunday arrested in a popular pentecostal church in Lagos, Africa Today News, New York reports.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) revealed this on Sunday via a statement issued by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi,
He said NDLEA operatives trailed the suspect to Ojodu Berger in the Ikeja area of the state.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that the suspect – Stephen Afam Ikeanyionwu – had been on the wanted list of the anti-narcotics agency ‘for attempting to export 69.65 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, and cannabis to the United Kingdom through the NAHCO export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA)’.
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His arrest followed the interception of a consignment of illicit drugs weighing 69.65kg going to the UK through the Lagos airport on August 12.
‘The illegal baggage had been sent to the airport for export through a freight forwarding company, which in turn gave a driver to deliver at the NAHCO export shed,‘ the statement partly read.
‘Following the arrest of the driver, follow-up operations and investigations later revealed the true identity of the actual owner of the consignment, Stephen Afam Ikeanyionwu, who was arrested three days later in a sting operation.’
The agency’s spokesman explained that the suspected trafficker excreted 68 wraps of heroin in three excretions, all weighing 800grams while under observation between August 14 and 15.
‘In the same vein, narcotic officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation have intercepted at two courier companies in Lagos 840 grams of Methamphetamine going to Australia and concealed in bolts.
‘340 grams of Meth hidden in locally made footwear and also going to Australia; 1 kilogram of cocaine coming from Ghana with the UK as destination and concealed in four local guitars. Also seized from one of the courier firms is another 480grams of Meth concealed in footwear and going to Australia,’ the statement noted.
Meanwhile, a South Africa returnee, Obi Chigozie Samuel, was also arrested at the Lagos airport last Sunday during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines from Addis-Ababa, for importing 58grams of skunk into Nigeria. During a preliminary interview, he admitted ownership and claimed to be a cannabis smoker.”
Similarly, in strings of operations in Edo, Ondo, Kaduna, Kano, and Kogi states, at least 2,504.8 kilograms of diverse illicit drugs were seized from multiple suspects in the past week.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK