Operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), have foiled an attempt by a syndicate to push into circulation fake $4.7 million or about N2.7 billion.

This is contained in a statement by the NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Babafemi said that the operatives had in the early hours of Friday February 18, intercepted a consignment sent from Lagos to Abuja at Abaji area of the Federal Capital Territory.

He said that a controlled delivery of the parceled counterfeit U.S. dollars totaling $4,760,000.00 led to the arrest of a principal suspect, 52-year-old Abdulmumini Maikasuwa.

Mr Babafemi also said the seizure followed intelligence received by the FCT Command of the agency detailing the movement of the cash.

He quoted the Chairman, NDLEA, retired Brigadier-General Buba Marwa as directing that both the cash and the suspect in NDLEA custody be transferred to EFCC for further investigation.

In another development, the NDLEA  has also arrested a nursing mother, Rashidat Adebayo, 38 with assorted drugs such as Tramadol, Swinol, Diazepam and Pentazocine injection ampoules in Offa, Kwara State.

Mr Babafemi said that her arrest came barely three weeks after the nursing mother was granted administrative bail following an earlier arrest for dealing in illicit drugs.

“Before her latest arrest on Thursday February 17, the nursing mother had been arrested and granted bail on January 24, for dealing in similar drugs,” he said.

In the same vein, NDLEA said its officers have arrested two drug dealers, Sani Isa (aka Bilaz) and Bala Yerima in Hong, Adamawa, with 239 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 209kg.

This is even just as operatives of its Command in Bauchi State have intercepted a truck marked FFF 422 XB going from Lagos to Maiduguri, at Azare, Bauchi.

“A total of 164.8kg of cannabis sativa concealed in peak milk cartons was recovered from the truck, ” he said.

He charged NDLEA officers nationwide not to rest on their oars in the fight against illicit drug use and trafficking. 

(NAN)