Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an automobile spare parts dealer, Ejiofor Chiwuzie, over attempts to export consignments of heroin and loud, a strain of cannabis, in Lagos.

In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the consignments were intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, Lagos, and were concealed in LED rechargeable lamps and sofa metal legs through the export shed of the airport.

He said Mr Ejiofor was arrested on Tuesday, September 24, at the Trade Fair complex, Ojo area of Lagos, where he sells automobile spare parts.

Mr Babafemi said this followed the seizure of his cargo containing auto parts, rechargeable lamps, sofa metal legs, and electronics, which was going to Liberia at the export shed of the Lagos airport.

“Concealed inside the LED lamps and sofa legs were 37 parcels of heroin weighing 1.10 kilograms and four blocks of loud with a total weight of 1.20kg.

“A swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of two freight agents and then Ejiofor, who sent the consignment,” he said.

In the same vein, NDLEA smashed attempts by drug trafficking networks to export consignments of loud, tramadol pills, co-codamol tablets, pentazocine injection, dihydrocodeine and promethazine tabs through some courier companies.

Mr Babafemi said the consignments were to be shipped to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Thailand and Oman.

He added that the attempted drug trafficking was foiled by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI), attached to the logistics firms.

“While 2.3kg of loud hidden in a carton was going to Thailand, 749 grammes of tramadol concealed in soles of locally made footwears were heading to Oman, with 60 ampoules of pentazocine injection going to the United States.

“No less than 200 pills of co-codamol were meant for Australia while a total of 700 tablets of dihydrocodeine, promethazine and tramadol, as well as 20 ampoules of pentazocine injection concealed in soles of footwears, were heading to the United Kingdom.

“Going to Canada were 58 ampoules of pentazocine injection hidden in female clothes. All the seizures in the courier houses were made between Monday, September 23, and Tuesday, September 24, in Lagos,” he said.

(NAN)