The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered and dismantled a syndicate that sponsors hajj pilgrims to smuggle cocaine into Saudi Arabia during pilgrimage, following the arrest of three cartel leaders in Kano.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA's Director of Media & Advocacy, the kingpins identified as Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Muhammed Tijjani, and Muhammad Aji Shugaba were apprehended following the initial arrest of two intending pilgrims at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.

The pilgrims, Ibrahim Umar Mustapha and Muhammad Siraj Shifado, were intercepted on Monday at the NDLEA's final screening point based on intelligence reports. When scanned, both suspects were confirmed to have ingested illicit substances.

"They were subsequently placed on excretion observation during which they excreted 45 wraps of cocaine each, bringing the total for both to 90 pellets with a total weight of 1.04kg," Babafemi stated.

Further investigation revealed the suspects were working for a notorious drug trafficking network specializing in moving illicit drugs to Saudi Arabia. The three kingpins were subsequently arrested on Tuesday and Wednesday last week in Kano.

Additional Drug Busts

In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the same airport intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo, on Wednesday during the outward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight to Iran. Body scans confirmed he had ingested illicit substances, and he later excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg.

At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Rivers State, a joint examination by NDLEA officers and other security agencies between Wednesday and Friday last week led to the seizure of 825,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup and Trodol valued at N5.78 billion. Additionally, 5.1 million pills of opioids, primarily tapentadol 225mg worth N3.57 billion, were recovered during the operation.

The combined street value of the seized opioids amounts to N9.35 billion.

In other operations, NDLEA operatives intercepted two suspects, Abubakar Hussein, 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53, along the Kano-Maiduguri road on Friday with $900,000 in suspected counterfeit currency. The suspects and exhibits will be transferred to the appropriate agency for further investigation.

The agency also recovered 390 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 275.3kg from a parked Toyota Sienna in Adamawa State on Tuesday, while in Kwara State, a notorious female drug dealer, Alhaja Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, was arrested on Saturday with various quantities of opioids including tramadol, flunitrazepam, and codeine-based syrup.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved in these operations and praised all commands nationwide for maintaining a balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.