NDLEA raids skuchies factory in Ogun, arrests church officials, others

Seizes 4,560kg skunk from Lagos, Adamawa, Osun

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have raided a skuchies factory in Ogun and arrested four members of a drug syndicate, including two church officials; female staff of a courier company and another lady, involved in trafficking lethal opioid, fentanyl in Delta.

Skuchies is a cocktail of drugs, including Cannabis sativa, tramadol tablets, codeine and swifnol, among others.

The operatives also seized about 4,560 kilogrammes of skunk in interdiction operations in Lagos, Adamawa and Osun.

The raid of the fentanyl cartel operating from Warri, Delta State, is coming barely a month after two members of another syndicate, Odoh Collins Oguejiofor and Oliver Chigozie Uzoma, were arrested at Ogbogwu market, Onitsha Head Bridge, Anambra State, following months of intelligence-led investigation of syndicates behind the dangerous drug, which is 100 times more potent than heroin and currently responsible for over 70 per cent overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and non-fatal overdoses in the United States.

Spokesperson for the anti-narcotic agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, yesterday, confirmed that two officials of a church based in Warri, Delta State, Adewale Ayeni and Ebipakebina Appeal, linked to two intercepted consignments of the illicit drug have been arrested in Warri. While Ayeni is one of those managing the prayer call centre of the church, Ebipakebina is in charge of movement of international guests from the airport to the church.

According to him, two female accomplices also arrested in Warri in the course of investigating the intercepted shipments, include Naomi David, a staff of United Parcel Services (UPS), and Stacy Njideka, also known as Nkiruka, who is Ayeni’s business associate.

Naomi

Meanwhile, operatives of the agency on Wednesday, July 5, intercepted a Toyota Hilux vehicle marked EPE 863 XD along Ngurore-Mayo Belwa road, Adamawa State. A search of the van with two occupants: Kelvin Efe, 51, and Christian Ogaga, 42, showed that 118 cartons of Indomie Noodles packs were used to conceal 544 blocks of compressed Cannabis sativa, weighing 408kg hidden in a false compartment and meant for distribution in Yola, Mubi and Gombe.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, July 1, arrested a suspect, Segun Odeyemi conveying 89 jumbo bags of skunk with a total weight of 3,842kg in his truck around Eleganza area of Ajah, Lekki, while in Osun State, an abandoned J5 Peugeot bus marked AAA 521 SQ with bags of fresh pepper used to conceal 25 bags of Cannabis sativa weighing 300.5kg was recovered along Akure-Ilesa expressway after its occupants sighted NDLEA officers on patrol on Friday, July 7.

Similarly, operatives in Ogun State on Thursday, July 6, raided a skuchies factory at Ajaka, Sagamu, where a suspect, Adekunle Adekola was arrested.

Exhibits recovered from the premises include 10kg cannabis; 1,356 litres of skucchies; 20 litres of codeine; seven deep freezers; a set of fireman generators and two gas cylinders, among others.

Meanwhile, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) has commended officers tracking the fentanyl opioid syndicate in Nigeria for the success of the operations so far.

He also commended their counterparts in Adamawa, Lagos, Osun and Ogun for the arrests and seizures of the past week, charging them and their compatriots across the country not to relent in their efforts to rid the nation of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.