Drugs suspects abandon 83.390kg of Ephedrine at Lagos airport

By OKOSUN DENNIS

One of the largest quantity of ephedrine whose market value is about N4 billion has been seized by operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at the Lagos airport, Ikeja.

National Daily learnt that the 83.390kgs of ephedrine was carefully concealed in female hair attachment by a suspected drug trafficking syndicate met to be moved to South Africa.

Other drug seizures bag include a bag containing 2.500kg of heroin abandoned at the arrival hall during the inward screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight from Nairobi, Kenya. Similarly, a luggage containing 4.6kg of cannabis meant for export to London on a British Airways flight from Lagos was also abandoned at the airport.

Three suspects including luggage handlers and a clearing agent are currently being interrogated in connection with the crime.

The suspects included Unegbu Daniel Chukwu, 42, Ettah Joseph, 28, and Wopara Bright, 31. Officials of the NDLEA at the departure hall had detected a bag and during search, it was found to contain substances that tested positive for ephedrine with a total weight of 83.390kgs.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd) noted that the drug gangs were busted following a new counter-narcotic measures at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).

It was further revealed that Ephedrine is a precursor ingredient used in the production of methamphetamine. According to Abdallah, a bag containing ephedrine was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the departure hall during outward screening of a South African Airline flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.

According to Ofoyeju Mitchell,
Head, Public Affairs said their preliminary investigation revealed that Unegbu Daniel who works as a clearing agent collected the luggage from his client and took it to the airport.

The suspects was said to have hailed from Anambra State. The other two luggage handlers allegedly worked with him are Ettah Joseph who hails from Cross Rivers State and Wopara Bright who is from Rivers State respectively.

The NDLEA boss, Abdallah, therefore, warned that the “NDLEA would continue to resist attempt by criminal syndicates to compromise security measures through strict law enforcement practice.

Adding that the Anti-narcotic agents have been placed on the alert and would remain vigilant in detecting any act of sabotage.

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Ofoyeju added that the cases are under investigation to uncover the drug cartel that was behind the illegal shipment of the narcotic drugs.