The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said on Sunday that it has intercepted a total of 52 travelers’ cheques concealed in children’s books worth $17.7 million.
The cheques, according to a statement issued by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi in Abuja, were en route to Malaysia through Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight.
Babafemi, however, said that the cheques were intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the airport on July 4.
He said that the interdiction operation which occurred at Lagos airport had a freight agent arrested in connection to the intercepted travelers’ cheques.
“The travelers cheques suspected to be counterfeit and the suspect will soon be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation,” he said.
He said NDLEA officers at the Seme border on July 5 recovered 718 big balls of skunk weighing 359 kg from a store in the Baba – Pupa area of the border community.
Operatives on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway intercepted 10,000 pills of tramadol 225mg and co-codamol as well as 1.050kg Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
This, he said, led to the arrest of owners of the way-billed drug consignments at Jabi Park in Abuja during a follow-up operation.
Babafemi said in another development in Osun, two suspects were arrested in the Ajegunle area of Osogbo on July 3 with 13,901 pills and ampoules of different opioids recovered from them.
He said that another suspect was nabbed at a patent medicine shop at Arubidi Street, Ile-Ife, with 48,205 pills of opioids.
“A raid of a vulcaniser workshop at Akindeko junction, Alekuwodo area of Osogbo on Tuesday, July 1 led to the arrest of three suspects.
“They were arrested with 1,250 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 850 pills of tramadol, and three bottles of codeine-based syrup.”
The spokesman said that the War Against Drug Abuse, (WADA), social advocacy activities by NDLEA commands equally continued across the country in the past week.
“Some of them include: the WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of Queen of Angel Secondary School, Mgbidi, Awgu, Enugu state, Divine Purpose College, Eyita, Ikorodu, Lagos.
“Others are Al-Furqan College, Kankia, Katsina, and residents of Gomari Binta Suga community, Maiduguri, Borno state, among others.”
What you should know
Earlier, NDLEA announced it had destroyed 24,175 kilograms of skunk on 9.67 hectares of cannabis farmland at Ikaka, Oke-Ila forest, Osun.
The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that NDLEA operatives had raided the area where seven suspects were arrested on July 3.
He said NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway recovered 11,000 pills of tramadol 225mg from a suspect, while their counterparts in Sokoto arrested a 62-year-old in connection with the seizure of 4,800 pills of tramadol 225mg.
