…Arrests 3 Kingpins In Kano
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a syndicate that sponsors hajj pilgrims to traffic cocaine to Saudi Arabia during pilgrimage.
The agency arrested three kingpins of the cartel in Kano, following the arrest of two pilgrims with ingested cocaine at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.
The two pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, were arrested on May 26 during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline flight ET 940 to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. They were found to have ingested 45 wraps of cocaine each, totaling 90 pellets with a weight of 1.04kg.
Investigation led to the arrest of the trio of Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba on May 27 and 28 in Kano. According to Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, the agency’s operatives were able to track down the kingpins through intelligence gathering and swift follow-up operations.
In related developments, NDLEA operatives intercepted a businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, with 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg at the Kano airport, bound for Iran. Additionally, the agency seized N9.3 billion worth of opioids in Rivers State, including 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 5.1 million pills of opioids.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the agency for their efforts in pursuing a fair balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.
The agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities continued across the country, with sensitization lectures delivered to students and staff of various schools.
 has uncovered and dismantled a syndicate that sponsors hajj pilgrims to traffic cocaine to Saudi Arabia during pilgrimage.){kind=link}