Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have discovered a snake-guarded shrine used to store illicit drugs at Igor community, Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Mr Femi Babafemi, the spokesman of the agency, on Sunday in a statement noted that the operatives detected a specially constructed large hole storage in a wall covered with wallpapers and fetish objects.
“Different quantities of illicit substances, such as methamphetamine, Loud, Colorado and Arizona, all strong strains of cannabis with a total weight of 8.743kgs, were pulled out from the deep hole dug in the wall of the shrine building.
“Two young women – Sonia Chinonso Ezumezu and Risikatu Tijani – were arrested during the intelligence-led operation on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 after a big black snake guarding the shrine was demobilised,” Babafemi stated.
Also, in Abuja, operatives of the agency, on Tuesday, June 18, intercepted a white Nissan Frontier pick-up vehicle with amber lights and fake registration number of a security agency at Kiyi village at the Kuje area.
The vehicle was loaded with 454 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa, weighing 340.8kgs, procured at Uzeba, Edo State.
A 76-year-old grandfather, Mr Francis Odiomume, who was linked to the consignment, said he had been in the illicit drug business for 10 years.
In the same vein, two suspects – Obi Ferguson, 45 and Ernest Abanum, 46 – were arrested on Saturday, June 22 when NDLEA operatives raided Usen forest in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State, where 209kgs cannabis and a motorcycle were recovered.
Officers of the agency in Lagos also intercepted a carefully packaged consignment of 8.2kgs of methamphetamine at a motor park in Mazamaza, Ojo area of the state.
The highly addictive illicit substance, also called ice or crystal meth, was packed in imported Dunkin’ turtle love chocolate wraps and concealed in the casing of three loud speakers.
A 39-year-old suspect, Michael Odiomume who was sending the consignment to Owerri, Imo State, was arrested on Wednesday, 19 June 19 at the park.
