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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Sunday said it has arrested a wanted drug baron who operates under the cover of a businessman and hotelier, Frank Chijioke Ibemesi, alias Chisco Bee, after weeks of intelligence and surveillance on his criminal activities.
Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement on Sunday.
The 42-year-old Ibemesi, who is the MD/CEO of Franc CJ Ibemesi Nig Ltd, was arrested by the Special Operations Unit at his Daisy Garden Hotel, 66-68 Agbeke street, Ago palace way, Isolo, Lagos, in the early hours of Saturday, Babafemi disclosed.
Babafemi said after this, he was taken to his warehouse at 7 Pius Ezeobi Street off Ago palace way, Isolo, where 42 jumbo bags and four cartons of Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 1,762.8 kilograms were recovered.
According to the statement, also seized from him at the point of his arrest include: $11,600 US dollars; 2,000 British Pounds; 2,200 Euros and 50 Canadian dollars, all in cash.
Babafemi also said an attempt by a drug syndicate operating at Orita-Apeje, Araromi-Okeodo forest reserve, Ife South LGA, Osun state, to load and distribute across the country large quantities of processed skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 11,135 kilograms, was thwarted last Tuesday by NDLEA operatives after days of surveillance in the forest.
The statement reads, “Two trucks being used to transport the illicit consignments: a Volvo truck marked WWR 29 XA and a Mercedes truck with registration number AWK 713 YZ were seized, and seven suspects arrested. Those in custody in connection with the seizure are: Lucky Abiodun; Julius Amos; Victor Ngbikili; Sunday Oduegwu; Ibrahim Akanni; Eze Godstime; and Fred Ifeanyichukwu.
“A total of 1,902.1 kilograms of skunk were recovered in parts of Edo state. While 184.1kg was recovered along a bush path at Oza/Igbanke road, Igbanke, in Orhionmwon LGA on Thursday, 13th November, 672kg was evacuated from Utese forest, Ovia North East LGA on Friday, 14th Nov, with 494kg recovered from a Mercedes-Benz car marked DE311BEN along
Benin-Akure road, where a suspect, Felix Edah, 45, was arrested the same day, just as Lucky Abagha, 51, was nabbed in another Mercedes-Benz car marked JJJ 56 JW, conveying 552kg.
“While four suspects, Michael Okoh, Offor Agada, Raphael Nkemjika, and Nwabueze Franklin, were arrested with 68kg of skunk and 3.150kg of methamphetamine along the Ijebu-Ode expressway in Ogun state. Danjuma Tukura, 50, was nabbed with 172kg of skunk at Sunkani area of Ardo Kola LGA, Taraba state, on Friday, 14th November, and Wisdom Titus, 24, with 84kg of the same substance at Takum area of the state.
“In Adamawa state, NDLEA operatives on Friday, 14th November recovered 396,000 capsules of tramadol from a suspect, Ahmed Isyaku Nda, 50, at Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola, while 785kg of skunk was evacuated from the warehouse of a drug dealer currently at large at Asob Maraba Karu, Nasarawa state.
“Two suspects: Jamiu Kunle Kardoso and Oriyomi Waliu were on Friday, 14th November arrested with 130 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 65.150kg in Surulere area of Lagos, just as Taofeek Moraina was nabbed same day with 282 blocks of Ghana Loud with a gross weight of 141kg at Otto, Oyingbo area of Lagos.
“In Kwara state, NDLEA operatives on Thursday, 13th November, intercepted a truck marked T-T-T-T-T-0262KT along Ilorin-Jebba expressway, conveying 197 blocks of skunk weighing 78.565kg and 155 cartons of rubber solutions. The truck driver, Umar Yakubu, was taken into custody. In another operation, a commercial bus with registration number KJA-657CY was intercepted at Eiyenkonrin, Ilorin, on Wednesday, 12th November, with 20 blocks of skunk concealed in a 50-litre jerry can recovered, and the driver, Ibrahim Bello arrested.
“In like manner, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities, among others, in the past week. These include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Government Day Secondary School, Birnin Ruwa Gusau, Zamfara; Holy Ghost Secondary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Government Science Technical School, Ringim, Jigawa; City Girls Secondary School, Enugu; Randle Junior Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos; and Anglican Girls Grammar School, Obalende, Ijebu Ode, Ogun state, among others.
“While commending the officers and men of the SOU, Osun, Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, and Kwara Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.”
