Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested members of an online drug cartel in Abuja.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday titled: ‘In fresh raids, NDLEA arrests 10 online drug traffickers, seizes 107kg cocaine, others, 11 despatch motorcycles, car in Abuja’.
According to the statement, members of the online drug cartel, which include a lady, her boyfriend as well as eight others, were arrested in a fresh raid launched by operatives of the agency over the weekend.
Babafemi said the lady, 28-year-old Ese Patrick, who allegedly sells illicit substances through her Instagram account, Ese’sOvenSecret, was tracked and arrested by NDLEA undercover agents, who ordered some substances from her online.
She was said to have delivered the substance by herself and her boyfriend in a Mercedes Benz car.
The statement read in part, “A follow-up operation at her residence led to the seizure of 400 grammes of Arizona weed, which she uses in baking the brownies.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of one Iyama Patrick with 450 grammes of Arizona weed. He supplies Ese the cannabis she uses.”
Similarly, a motorcycle belonging to a courier company, Sky Port, was said to have been abandoned by its rider after sighting the NDLEA outpost in Wuse Zone 4.
The statement added, “A day earlier, a motorcycle belonging to a courier company, Sky Port, was abandoned by a despatch rider in Wuse Zone 4 upon sighting the NDLEA outpost in the area.
“The motorcycle was later found to contain several pinches of crack cocaine and some envelopes of Arizona meant for delivery.”
Another online drug trafficker, Peter Nkejika, was said to have been arrested on May 24, following the arrest of a despatch rider with 17 portions of loud, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis, which was said to have cost N30,000 per portion.
The statement also disclosed how operatives of the agency, on May 25, intercepted two online drug transactions and arrested two despatch riders with some quantities of cocaine and loud.
The owner of the despatch motorcycles, Dolapo Benjamin, was said to have also been arrested due to her involvement in door- to-door distribution of drugs and drug-based edibles.
Her arrest led to the seizure of six despatch motorcycles, assorted drugs such as cocaine, crack, molly, skunk, brownies and loud.
In another related development, operatives also intercepted 30 compressed parcels of cannabis meant for delivery in Ningi, Bauchi State, on May 27, as well as Rophynol and Tramadol meant to be delivered in the Federal Capital Territory.
The statement added, “The drugs, weighing 105.5 kilogrammes, were seized along the Gwagwalada-Abuja Road in a luxury bus.
“Three persons were arrested in connection with the exhibits, while two more despatch motorcycles were seized with some quantities of cocaine and cannabis on Saturday as the raids across the FCT intensify.”
Babafemi added that operatives of the agency’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigations also intercepted 445 grammes of methamphetamine going to New Zealand and another 450 grammes of cannabis Sativa meant for the United Arab Emirates.
According to the statement, the 445 grammes of methamphetamine were concealed in USB chargers and hair attachments, while the 450 grammes of cannabis Sativa were concealed in local soap containers at a courier company in Lagos.
