The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Monday announced the raid of an illicit drug warehouse in the Ikorodu area of Lagos state.
The agency on Sunday busted a warehouse containing 1.8 tons, that is 1,855 kilograms of illicit drugs. Monetarily, the agency estimates the value as Two Hundred and Seventy-Eight Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand dollars ($278,250,000). Similarly, the Nigerian street value is estimated at around One Hundred and Ninety-Four Billion, Seven Hundred and Seventy-Five Million naira (194,775,000,000).
Also, the raid led to the arrest of four drug barons alongside the warehouse manager. Among the barons is a Jamaican named, Kelvin Smith, 42, from Kingston Jamaica. While his Nigerian counterparts are Messrs. Soji Jibril, 69, from Ibadan, Oyo State; Emmanuel Chukwu, 65, from Ekwulobia, Anambra State; Wasiu Akinade, 53, from Ibadan, Oyo State; and Sunday Oguntelure, 53, from Okitipupa, Ondo State.
The 2-day operation includes the bust of the warehouse located at, 6 Olukuola crescent, Solebo estate, Ikorodu, on Sunday 18th September 2022; and also the arrest of the barons from their hideouts across Lagos between Sunday night and Monday.
The agency in its statement describes the culprits as members of an international drug syndicate that has been in its crosshairs since 2018. It adds that the barons stored the drugs in 10 travel bags and 13 drums while hoping to sell them to their clients abroad.
It is worth noting that the raid is currently being described as one of the biggest busts in the agency’s history
Commenting on the operation, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) says:
The bust is a historical blow to the drug cartels and a strong warning that they’ll all go down if they fail to realise that the game has changed.
