Thailand Returnee Arrested with N3.1 Billion Worth of Heroin at Lagos Airport as NDLEA Intercepts N22.7 Billion Worth of Opioids at Lekki, Apapa, and Onne Seaports

Thailand Returnee Arrested with N3.1 Billion Worth of Heroin at Lagos Airport as NDLEA Intercepts N22.7 Billion Worth of Opioids at Lekki, Apapa, and Onne Seaports

In a series of coordinated drug busts targeting transnational drug syndicates, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a Thailand returnee, Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter, for attempting to smuggle 13.30 kilograms of heroin valued at over N3.192 billion into Nigeria. The arrest took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, October 7, 2024.

The 29-year-old, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra State, had traveled from Thailand via a Qatar Airways flight. After a brief stopover in Doha, he arrived in Lagos on October 5, with his luggage originally destined for Accra, Ghana. Simonpeter attempted to reroute his bags to Nigeria, aiming to evade security by picking them up as rush luggage. However, NDLEA operatives intercepted him at the exit point. A search revealed six backpacks, each concealing large parcels of heroin, with a total weight of 13.30 kilograms. 

In his statement, Simonpeter confessed to being paid $7,000 to deliver the heroin, with two parcels intended for delivery in Lagos and four in Accra. 

Simultaneously, NDLEA operatives at three Nigerian seaports—Lekki Deep Seaport, Apapa Seaport, and Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne—seized large consignments of opioids. The combined monetary value of the drugs, including 32.6 million tramadol pills and 1.45 million bottles of codeine-based syrup, amounts to N22.74 billion. The seizures were made between October 7 and 11, 2024, following intelligence-led operations and joint examinations with Nigerian Customs and other security agencies.

In a related operation, NDLEA officers arrested Okelue Chidera, 29, in Anambra State on October 12 with 50,000 tramadol tablets. Additionally, operatives in Edo State seized 1,050 kg of cannabis in Owan West LGA and arrested a suspect, Monday Akele, 38, in a separate raid in Ovia North East LGA, recovering 110 kg of cannabis.

The NDLEA continues its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitization programs in schools, workplaces, worship centers, and communities. Recent WADA activities took place in educational institutions across Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Niger, Oyo, Ebonyi, Edo, and Abuja.

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, commended the agency's officers for their operational successes and their balanced approach to both drug supply and demand reduction efforts. 

**Femi Babafemi

Director, Media & Advocacy

NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja

Sunday, October 13, 2024.