365Daily– The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disclosed that the seizure of 225mg of tramadol worth N8.86 billion in Victoria Garden City, Lekki, Lagos State.
The agency also added that it arrested a suspect in the case, an alleged wanted drug baron in Lagos identified as Ugochukwu Nsofor Chukwukadibiaa.
The spokesman of the drug law enforcement agency, Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement issued on Monday, October 3, 2022, in Abuja.
Babafemi noted that the latest arrest comes about five months after the agency arrested another baron, Afam Ukatu, who reportedly has links to the suspended police commissioner, Abba Kyari, for importing containers of tramadol worth N22 billion in one month.
He also noted that the NDLEA had, a month ago, discovered two major clandestine laboratories in Lagos and Anambra states where crystal methamphetamine, called Mkpuru Mmiri in local parlance, was produced and from where they are distributed across the country and exported outside Nigeria.
In addition, he recalled that in September, in what “appears to be the biggest singular cocaine seizure” in the country, its operatives busted a major warehouse in a secluded estate in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, where over N194 billion worth of crack were seized.
On the latest arrest, the NDLEA said the suspect, Mr Chukwukadibia, a 52-year-old, was arrested in one of his six mansions in the same estate which he was using as a drug warehouse.
The agency said Ugochukwu, who is the Chairman of Autonation Motors Ltd, was operating in the same estate where another drug kingpin, Chris Emeka Nzewi, was arrested on Saturday 30th July along with a chemist, Sunday Ukah, who cooked the illicit methamphetamine for him. At least, 258.74 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and various precursor chemicals used for the production of the toxic drug were recovered from Nzewis home during his arrest, it stated.
The statement said: “Following credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives on Friday 30th September stormed the Plot A45 Road 2 home of the 52-year-old billionaire drug kingpin. A search of the expansive mansion led to the discovery of 443 cartons of Tramadol Hydrochloride 225mg, which contains 13, 451, 466 pills of the drug while some cartons were already burnt in a fire incident in the house same day.
“Before his arrest, Ugochukwu, who hails from Ihiala local government area of Anambra State, had been on the Agency’s watch list as one of those behind the tramadol drug cartel in Nigeria. Preliminary investigation shows that he has about six mansions within the VGC, one of which he uses to warehouse the tramadol consignment, while he lives in the one at Plot Z-130 Road 67 and another as his office.
“Five exotic vehicles have also been located in two of his mansions, out of which two SUVs including a bullet jeep have been successfully removed to the Agencys facility.
“Reacting to the latest drug haul, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men involved in the operation for their diligence while also appreciating Nigerians for supporting the Agency in its arduous task of ridding the country of the menace of drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
“According to him, ‘I’ll like to reassure Nigerians and other stakeholders wherever they are located across the country and beyond of our preparedness to work with them on this onerous task of saving our people from the drug scourge. This partnership is a further warning to the drug barons and cartels that there is no hiding place for them anymore, because we remain on their trail and well always get them.'”