By Emma Njoku
Three major interstate drug cartels notorious for the supply of illicit substances to some states in the North have been busted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Director, Media and Publicity of the anti-crime agency, Mr Femi Babafemi, in a statement, yesterday, said the operatives recovered skunk and cocaine weighing over 843 kilograms and arrested, at least, seven of the drug kingpins behind the syndicates in separate raids carried out in Kogi, Nasarawa and Benue states.
He said: “In a bid to evade the frequent road interdiction efforts by officers of the Kogi state command of the agency, a cartel led by one Augustine Emmanuel, 45, opted to move its consignments through the waterways between Edo and Kogi states.
“They were, however, intercepted on Monday, July 12, 2021, at a Jetty in Idah, Kogi State, where a Toyota Avalon car with registration number: Lagos SMK 345 CG, loaded with 487kg of cannabis and ferried across the waterways from Agenebode, Edo State to the Jetty in Idah, was seized and the syndicate leader arrested.
“In Nasarawa state, a team of NDLEA operatives had on Thursday, July 8, raided one of the most hostile drug joints in the state capital. About 356kg of cannabis and various psychotropic substances were recovered, with the arrest of four major drug dealers, including the most notorious drug kingpin in Nasarawa state called “Boogie”, while his real name is Muhammed Umar. His drug distribution tentacles cut across Kano, Plateau, Benue and parts of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.”