Over two months after they were declared wanted, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested three members of an organised criminal organisation which specialises in illicit drug trafficking across Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Europe and the United States of America.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement issued on Sunday.
According to Babafemi, this followed the seizure of the single largest consignment of heroin at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
A total of 51.90 kilograms of heroin had been recovered from members of the drug cartel in an operation that began on February 10, 2024 at the SAHCO Import Shed of the airport’s cargo terminal.
The consignment was concealed in 15 cartons of 2300-watt metal cutting machines, with no less than 45 blocks of the illicit substance weighing 49.70kg recovered from the equipment, while additional 2.2kg was seized at the syndicate’s warehouse in Ayobo area of Lagos State.
While the Agency has secured interim forfeiture court order on hotel, mansions, vehicles and funds traced to members of the syndicate after arresting four of them, a manhunt was also launched for others who went underground.
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The effort paid off on April 19, 2024 when two of the wanted kingpins: Onyinyechi Irene Igbokwuputa and Frankline Uzochukwu, were arrested in Lagos State and Awka in Anambra State respectively.
Another wanted member of the syndicate, Osita Emmanuel Obinna, was equally nabbed in Lagos State.