By IBIRONKE ARIYO

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has intercepted a 42-year-old Indian lady at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, (MAKIA), Kano, with 72 parcels of heroin.

A statement by NDLEA?s Director, Media And Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja said that the prohibited substances were factory sealed in wafer wraps and packaged as chocolates.

Babafemi said that the class A drug consignment weighing a total of 11 kilograms was recovered from her luggage after a thorough search.

This, he said followed credible intelligence, during an inward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1431 from Bangkok, Thailand via Vietnam and Doha at the arrival hall of the Kano airport on Friday, March 14.

Babafemi said that the arrest of the suspect signified a growing attempt by drug trafficking organisations to hire white ladies and foreign nationals to move illicit drugs through the Nigerian borders.

?A bid that vigilant NDLEA operatives have consistently frustrated with the aid of modern technological tools and proactive intelligence, ?he said.

In another interdiction operation in Kano, NDLEA officers on Thursday, March 20 arrested a 45-year-old male suspect with a 50-litre steel gas cylinder at Gadar Tamburawa, along Zaria- Kano road.

?Based on credible intelligence, welding tools were later used to cut the giant cylinder after which 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in it were extracted,? he said.

?Meanwhile, a 40-year-old male was nabbed at Gunduwawa area of Kano on Wednesday, March 19 with 27kg skunk, a strain of cannabis.?

Babafemi said that another female suspect was arrested with 424 bottles of codeine-based syrup at Lungun Bulala Yalwa area of the state on Tuesday.

?Also, two male suspects were also nabbed with 67.5kg skunk in Mushin, Lagos state.

?100.8kg of same psychoactive substance was recovered from the store of two fleeing suspects in Anifowoshe area of Mushin.

?Another suspect was also arrested in Apapa with 4.5kg skunk; 600grams of tramadol 225mg and 30litres of codeine syrup on Tuesday.

?Another suspect also was arrested same day in Ikotun area of the state with different quantities of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, ?he said.

Across the country, Babafemi said that NDLEA Commands and formations continued to intensify their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy sensitisation.

He also added that the agency engaged in sensitisation in schools, markets, motor parts, work places and worship centres in the past week.

This, he said included: WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Chrisland School, Ikeja, Lagos; Hakimi Secondary School, Mokwa, Niger state; Marist Comprehensive College, Nteje, Anambra state.

?Others are Ikole City College, Ikole Ekiti, Ekiti state; Government Day Secondary School, Sunane, Sokoto state; and Government Day Secondary School, Jada, Adamawa state, among others,? he said.

Babafemi quoted the NDLEA chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, as commending the officers and men of MAKIA, Lagos, and Kano Commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures.

Marwa noted with satisfaction the balance in drug supply and demand reduction efforts of all the formations nationwide, even as he charged them not to relent. (NAN)

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