Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, have taken down a drug cartel controlled by 49-year-old man, identified as Kelechi Monday Nwaobasi and his 50-year-old elder sister, Ms Chinwe Rose Nwaobasi.
It was gathered that the two suspects housed the cocaine and methamphetamine consignments worth over N4.1billion in their hideout in Aba, Abia state.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement released on Sunday, said that the special operation was conducted on Thursday 13 and Friday June 14, 2024 at 3B, 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 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from them.
NDLEA operatives in Lagos State also uncovered an expansive warehouse stocked with a large consignment of codeine-based syrup, located at Comfort Oboh area of Kirikiri, where four persons connected with the importation and distribution of the opioid were arrested during an intelligence-led raid on the facility.
The statement partly reads: “A cartel controlled by a drug baron, 49-year-old Kelechi Monday Nwaobasi and his 50-year-old elder sister, Ms. Chinwe Rose Nwaobasi, has been taken down by officers of the Special Operation Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, following the arrest of the siblings and seizure of cocaine and methamphetamine consignments worth over N4.1billion in street value from their hideout in Aba, Abia state.
READ MORE: NDLEA Nabs 110 Suspects In Kaduna, Confiscates Illicit Drugs
“The special operation conducted on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th June, 2024 at 3B, 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 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from them.
“In a related development, NDLEA operatives in Lagos state have uncovered an expansive warehouse stocked with a large consignment of codeine-based syrup, located at Comfort Oboh area of Kirikiri, where four persons connected with the importation and distribution of the opioid were arrested during an intelligence-led raid on the facility.
“Those arrested include: Kingsley Amanambu Obumneke, 38; Emeka Emmanuel, 48; Bornaventure Ugochukwu, 59; and Martin Dike, 56, while a total of 82,000 bottles of the opioid worth more than N600million in street value, Toyota Tacuma truck and two buses used for distributing the substance were recovered from the premises on Monday 10th June 2024 when NDLEA officers conducted the operation.
“Two days after, Wednesday 12th June, operatives intercepted another suspect, Ibrahim Abdulhamid with 29,100 pills of tramadol and other opioids as well as 3.9 litres of codeine syrup at Alaba Suru, Ojo local council area of the state.”
