The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old alleged drug dealer and intercepted thousands of bottles of codeine syrup and hundreds of kilograms of illicit drugs in separate operations across Rivers, Anambra and Delta states.
In a statement signed by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, in Rivers State, NDLEA operatives arrested Ugo Gift Okonkwo, described by the agency as a notorious drug dealer, at Eagle Island, Port Harcourt, following credible intelligence.
Okonkwo was arrested on Sunday, July 26, with various quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, swinol, tramadol and codeine syrup allegedly found in his possession.
In a separate operation in Anambra State, NDLEA officers conducting a stop-and-search operation at DMGS Roundabout, Onitsha, intercepted a truck loaded with 26,000 bottles of codeine syrup.
The truck, marked XK 131 BDG, was intercepted on Monday, July 27, while the 40-year-old driver, Chinedu Nwanze, was arrested.The consignment weighed 3,960 kilograms, according to the agency.
Meanwhile, in Delta State, NDLEA operatives recovered 331.84 kilograms of skunk from a Toyota Sienna bus with registration number KUJ 26 DV along the Kwale-Ughelli Expressway on Sunday, July 26.
The latest seizures and arrest are part of the agency’s ongoing nationwide offensive against the trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs, with operatives combining intelligence-led operations, stop-and-search activities and targeted arrests.
Commending the officers and men of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI) as well as the Rivers, Anambra, Delta Commands for their various successful operations, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), urged personnel across the country to sustain the agency’s ongoing balanced approach to drug control.
Marwa also encouraged the officers to remain committed to the fight against illicit drugs, as the agency continues its operations across the country.