By Suleiman Anyalewechi
With less than a week after the Abia State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, warned that there will be no hiding place for illicit drug traffickers in the State, its National Special Operation Unit on Sunday June 16, 2024, announced that it has taken down a deadly cartel and intercepted hard substances valued at over N4 billion in Aba and Lagos.
This is even as it said several suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizures.
The illicit drugs seized include majorly cocaine and methamphetamine, with siblings among those apprehended in the Aba, Abia state operation.
In a release issued on Sunday, by the Director Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, said the Chairman of the anti-narcotics agency, Mohammed Buba Marwa, Brigadier General rtd, lauded the operatives for their huge success, as well as implored them not to relent in their efforts to curtail the activities of illicit drugs traffickers in the country.
“A cartel controlled by a drug baron, 49 year-old Kelechi Monday, and his 50 year old elder sister, Ms Chinwe Rose Nwaobasi, has been taken down by officers of the Special Unit of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA following the arrest of the siblings and seizure of cocaine and methamphetamine consignments worth over N4.1 billion in street value from their hide out in Aba Abia state.
“The special operation conducted on Thursday, June 13, and Friday, June 14, 2024, at Boundary Avenue Aba, and a residence along Ohia Road Ohia, Abia State followed months of intelligence gathering, leading to the arrest of the ring leaders and the combined seizure of 20.76 kgs of cocaine and methamphetamine from them .
Those arrested in the Lagos warehouse operation include Kingsley Amanambu Obumneke 38 ,Emeka Emmanuel 48, Bonaventure Ugochukwu 59,and Martin Dike 56.
A total of 82,000 bottles of the opioid worth more than N600 million in street value,Toyota Tacuma truck and two buses used for distributing the substances were recovered from the premises on Monday June 10 2024 when NDLEA officials conduct the operation” the statement noted .
