The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has busted a trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, arresting four members.
The operations led to the recovery of multi-million-naira worth of tramadol pills concealed in the bumper and false bottom of sienna buses heading to border towns.
Its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi in a statement issued Sunday said following weeks of intelligence and surveillance operations by operatives, a Sienna bus marked ABJ 452 HG was intercepted at Nasarawa- Toto road, Keffi, Nasarawa state on Tuesday 27th January 2025 at 6am.
He not that two suspects: Zahradeen Adamu, 27 and Abubakar Usman, 44, were arrested in the vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra state enroute Yola, Adamawa state.
Babafemi added that a second Sienna bus driven by Abba Usman, 48, was also intercepted.
He said: “During a search of the two vehicles, specially constructed steel compartments were discovered after the removal of the back bumper where a total of 190, 960 pills of tramadol were concealed and, in the space, designed to house the spare tyre of the vehicles.
“Investigations revealed that an Onitsha, Anambra state-based dealer, Kingsley Mbaeri was the supplier of the seized tramadol consignment.
“A swift follow up operation led to the arrest of Mbaeri at his Uga Street, Onitsha home on 29th January. Two vehicles: a Toyota Corolla car marked FGG 948 MF and a Toyota Sienna bus marked GWA 23 HH were recovered from his house.”
In another interdiction, Babafemi revealed that operatives of the Intelligence Department intercepted a commercial bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra State at Abaji checkpoint, FCT Abuja on 4th February.
He noted that a passenger in the bus, Chimezie Ojingwa, 32, carrying motor spare parts in a black bag was arrested.
“When his bag was searched, 404.47grams of methamphetamine; 506.49grams of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis and 262.32grams of dimethyl sulfone, a precursor substance for mixing meth, all of which were concealed in the motor parts were recovered,” he said.
Babfemi said a in Lagos, 28-year-old Samiat Yussuf was on Saturday 15th February arrested by operatives during a raid of her Lekki home where 169.5 litres of nitrous oxide popularly known as laughing gas and 111grams of Loud were recovered.
He stressed that not less than 132.84 kilograms of skunk were recovered from two suspects: Ibrahim Usman, 40, and Solomon James, 40, in Taraba.
Babafemi explained that while Usman was nabbed with 88kg of Arizona and Ghana Loud at Wukari, James was arrested with 44.84kg of same substance at Takanaba, Sabongari, in Jalingo LGA.