NDLEA Arrests 101-Year-Old Woman Over Alleged Cannabis Sales
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother, Esther Ogunmabo, for allegedly selling cannabis in Ogun State.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, saying Ogunmabo was arrested on August 15 in Ilisan, Ogun State.
The centenarian was reportedly found with 90 grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in small sachets for retail distribution.
According to the agency, Ogunmabo told investigators that she turned to the illicit trade after fire destroyed her provisions shop.
She reportedly said one of her daughters, who lives in Lagos, supplied the cannabis every four days for her to sell in small quantities.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), directed that the elderly suspect be granted bail and subjected to counselling.
Her daughter, however, was arrested in connection with the alleged drug operation.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives in Akwa Ibom intercepted a wooden boat allegedly transporting illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon.
Three suspects were arrested during the August 21 operation, with 42.622kg of narcotics recovered from them.
The suspects were identified as Etima Effiong Eekpo, 29; Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, 33; and Kingsley Effiong John, 27.
Eekpo was allegedly found with 1.120kg of skunk, while Etukudoh possessed 42.060kg of the substance.
John was allegedly carrying 435 grams of skunk and 20 grams of cocaine concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu.
Meanwhile, NDLEA said it recorded its first seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor.
The agency intercepted two containers containing cannabis indica, popularly known as Loud, at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos.
The combined street value of the seized consignment was estimated at more than N4.4 billion.
At Apapa Port, officials discovered 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud inside a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries.
The consignment was reportedly packed in 54 cartons containing 2,181 sachets, each weighing 500 grams.
At Lekki Deep Sea Port, NDLEA recovered another 400kg of Thai Loud concealed among pallets covered with black nylon.
The agency said the shipment contained 96 cartons and 400 parcels, while three other pallets held 798 rims of A4 paper used to disguise the drugs.
In Abuja, NDLEA operatives also intercepted 24,410 tramadol capsules concealed in three waybill packages inside a Hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba.
A follow-up operation in Niger State led to the arrest of the alleged owner, 28-year-old Sunday Eze, in Kontagora.
The suspect was subsequently transferred to Abuja for further investigation.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 10,000kg of cannabis cultivated across four hectares of forest in Ijare, Ifedore Local Government Area.
The operation followed the arrest of three suspected cannabis farmers at the location on August 16.
Elsewhere in the state, operatives recovered 210kg of skunk and a Toyota Camry at Ita-Ogbolu, Akure North LGA.
The vehicle allegedly belongs to Sylvester Dibiagu Anthony, who remains at large.
In Kwara State, NDLEA officials intercepted a Toyota Starlet without a registration number along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin Expressway.
A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered 1.325kg of methamphetamine and quantities of cannabis sativa.
A 22-year-old suspect, Muhammadu Usman, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
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