The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted four tons of illicit drugs in seven states in the past week.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the development in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
He said the drugs include nitrous oxide popularly known as laughing gas, skunk, codeine syrup, methamphetamine, and tramadol.
Babafemi added that the substances were seized during interdiction operations in Lagos, Kogi, Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto, Edo, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He explained that 1,194 cylinders of laughing gas with a total weight of 2,547.2 kilograms were intercepted in Toyota Sienna buses along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on September 22.
The spokesman said: “Two suspects – Onyebuchi Ikpozu and Kenneth Igwe – conveying the consignment to Abuja for distribution have been taken into custody.
“One of the Toyota Sienna buses marked KTU 582 HV was conveying 99 cartons containing 594 cylinders weighing 1,267.200kgs, while the other bus, registered FKJ 329 YA, was loaded with 100 cartons with 600 cylinders weighing 1,280kgs.
“A 48-year-old woman, Mrs. Ugo Eluba, was also arrested in Abuja in a follow-up operation after 2,400 ampules of pentazocine injection and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 intercepted in Kogi were traced to her.
“In the FCT, operatives intercepted 977 kilograms of skunk on Sept. 20 in a trailer marked LSR 343 XW, bearing cartons of maggi.
“The skunk consignment was loaded into the truck at Ipele junction in Ondo state.
“959kgs of the substance were meant for distribution in Sokoto state, the rest was to be dropped off at Gwagwalada.
“Two suspects, Auwal Mohammed and Abdullahi Abubakar have been arrested in connection with the seizure.”
