Auto Parts Dealer Arrested Over Heroin, Cannabis Shipments Concealed in Lamps, Sofa Legs

Auto Parts Dealer Arrested Over Heroin, Cannabis Shipments Concealed in Lamps, Sofa Legs

.....As NDLEA Nabs Two Wanted Kingpins and Ex-Convicts in Drug Trafficking Crackdown

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended an auto parts dealer, Ejiofor Nnaemeka Chiwuzie, for attempting to export heroin and a potent strain of cannabis, known as loud, hidden in LED lamps and sofa legs. The arrest was made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Chiwuzie, who operates from the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, was arrested on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, following the seizure of a cargo headed to Liberia containing spare parts, rechargeable lamps, and electronics. Concealed within the lamps and metal sofa legs were 37 parcels of heroin weighing 1.1 kg and four blocks of loud weighing 1.2 kg. Following this seizure, two freight agents involved in the shipment were also arrested.

In a related operation, NDLEA officers intercepted multiple illicit drug consignments intended for international destinations including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Thailand, and Oman. Among the seizures were loud hidden in cartons, tramadol pills concealed in the soles of footwear, and codeine-based cough syrup. These were intercepted between September 23 and 24, 2024, at logistics companies in Lagos.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Ajiboye Damilare Samuel, alias *Na God*, after a 12-month manhunt. Ajiboye had been on the run since a raid on his warehouse in Mushin, Lagos, in September 2023, where over a ton of cannabis was seized. He was apprehended on September 25, 2024, at a bank in Ogun State after his financial activities were traced.

In another operation, NDLEA arrested Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, a community leader in Badagry, Lagos, after the seizure of 226.2 kg of cannabis from his residence. His two wives and son were earlier arrested on September 18, 2024, in connection with the drug haul.

NDLEA’s nationwide crackdown continued with arrests in Kogi, where operatives intercepted 2,062 kg of cannabis concealed in a truck along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway. In Lagos, a suspect was caught with 9.7 kg of cannabis and 50 liters of *monkey tail* — a local mixture of dry gin and cannabis. In Rivers State, 150,000 bottles of codeine syrup were intercepted at the Onne Port on September 25, 2024.

The week-long nationwide operation also saw arrests in Niger, Kano, Plateau, Oyo, Katsina, Edo, and Cross River States, with NDLEA officers seizing large quantities of opioids, tramadol, cannabis, and other illegal substances.

The NDLEA’s Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for their dedication in combating drug trafficking and promoting the *War Against Drug Abuse* (WADA) campaign through sensitization programs across the country. NDLEA officers continued outreach efforts in schools, communities, and workplaces, delivering anti-drug messages to students and traditional rulers. 

Femi Babafemi  

Director, Media & Advocacy  

NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja  

Sunday, September 29, 2024