A large consignment of Ghanaian Loud – a strong strain of cannabis sativa – has been intercepted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Ojuelegba area of Lagos in the early hours of Sunday, January 28.
NDLEA which announced the seizure in a statement on Sunday, February 4, said the Ghanaian Loud was smuggled into Lagos from Ghana loaded in two trucks and a J5 bus with a total weight of 14, 524.8 kilograms.
A 66-year-old driver and a wanted drug baron, Suleiman Jimoh, were arrested, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi said.
In the process of blocking the vehicles, two of the drivers jumped off on motion while the third driver, 66-year-old Nasiru Ojomu, who works with wanted Akala, Mushin-based drug baron, Suleiman Jimoh (alias Olowo Idi Ogede, also known as Temo) was arrested,” the statement read.
“In the last three years, NDLEA operatives have seized several shipments of the same psychoactive substance worth billions of naira linked to Temo. The wanted drug lord has since gone into hiding while the Agency continues its manhunt for him.”
NDLEA operatives also embarked on routine patrol around a warehouse sealed at Church Street in Idumota.
In its ongoing investigation, the anti-narcotic agency arrested arrested three suspects on Thursday 1st February.
The suspects – Joseph Joshua; Muhammed Adamu and Balarabe Musa – were said to have burgled the store and loaded 546,700 pills of tramadol and other opioids into a waiting yellow bus marked BDG 447 XD and an unregistered Suzuki minibus.
In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives captured a male deaf and dumb suspect dealing in illicit substances in the Samaru area of Zaria. At the time of his arrest, the agency said 150 grams of cannabis were recovered from him while selling the psychoactive substance.
“Another suspect, Ibrahim Sani, 56, was also arrested in possession of 51 kilograms of the same substance in the Tirkaniya area of the state.
“Operatives in Abuja on Wednesday 31st January arrested Emmanuel Paul with 43.5kg cannabis concealed in used shoes loaded in a trailer coming from Ogbese, Ondo state to be delivered at Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. In Katsina state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Dutsinma – Katsina road on Friday 2nd February apprehended a suspect, Murtala Isah, 35, with a total of 37,600 pills of tramadol and other opioids recovered from him.
“In Kogi state, operatives on Wednesday 31st January destroyed 833.32 kilograms of cannabis sativa on a two-acre of farmland at Iluke community, Kabba- Bunu LGA while the owner, Samuel Atonila, 49, was equally arrested. On the same day, operatives in Nasarawa also arrested three suspects: Muhammed Musa, Bilyaminu Musa and Sadiya Ya’u with the same psychoactive substance weighing 24.4kg at Uke, Karu local government area of the state, while no less than 258 kilograms of same substance were recovered from a bush store around Ikare bypass, Owo, Ondo State,” Babafemi stated.
