The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted what it has dubbed as the largest single heroin consignment at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State.
In a recent operation on February 12, 2024, the agency apprehended members of an organized criminal syndicate specializing in trafficking heroin across Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Europe, and America. This operation resulted in the seizure of a consignment weighing 51.90 kilograms.
Chairman of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, disclosed these developments while addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday. Marwa emphasized that this interception marked the single largest seizure of heroin at the airport to date.
The heroin consignment, concealed within 15 cartons of 2300-watt metal cutting machines, bore similarities to the September 18, 2022, seizure of 2,139.5 kilograms of cocaine in a warehouse in the Ikorodu area of the state. Marwa hailed this as the largest singular cocaine seizure in NDLEA history.
Following the recent interception, NDLEA operatives conducted a follow-up operation leading to the arrest of four cartel members linked to the smuggling attempt. Marwa provided details, stating, “NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Command intercepted a suspicious package at the SAHCO Import Shed of the airport’s Cargo Terminal. The consignment was concealed in 15 cartons of 2300-watt metal cutting machines. Each carton was stocked with three blocks of high-grade heroin. In total, we recovered 45 blocks of the illicit substance with a total weight of 49.70 kilograms.”
The investigation unfolded with the arrest of the freight agent, Olowolagba Wasiu Babatunde, who was discovered to have been hired for clearing services by Mattpee Logistics, a company operated by an individual named Mr. Kola, residing in South Africa.