By Francesca Hangeior
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday, February 27, said its operatives intercepted a record-breaking heroin consignment imported into the country by a syndicate operating across three continents.
It said the operatives also arrested 10 suspects in the operation that lasted nine days, saw the blocking of 109 bank accounts and N119 million; sealing of hotels and mansions in the Ago Palace Way area of Lagos.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) gave details of the operation at a news conference held in Lagos.
According to Marwa, the illicit Class A drugs totalling 51.90kg were carefully packaged, well-labeled, and concealed inside cutting machines billed for delivery at the cartel’s warehouse in the Ipaja area of the state.
With a street value of £100,000 per kilo, The Nation reports that the seized 51.90kg drugs with an estimated worth of £5,190,000 (N10,365,987,000 at N1,997.3/£ exchange rate).
Addressing newsmen at the NDLEA NAHCO office, Marwa said the seizure was similar to last year’s Ikorodu seizure which was also the highest single interception of cocaine by the agency.
He chronicled the steps the operatives took and how the agency’s sniffer dogs were handy in discovering the crime.
According to Marwa, the agency had already contacted its counterpart in South Africa to get leaders of the cartel who are residents in that country and Mozambique.