NDLEA bursts billionaire drug chain worth N4.8 Billion at Alaba International Market

By Ologeh Joseph Chibu

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized drugs worth N4.8b at the Alaba International Market in Lagos.

The NDLEA achieved the significant successe that sent shivers down the spines of the drug barons who use the Trade Fair as a hub.

The NDLEA said it had arrested one Paulinus Ojukwu suspected to be a major link to the baron.

The NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi in a report made available to Irohinoodua at the weekend said the discovery of the drugs was a breakthrough in the agency’s determination to track and arrest drug barons who swim in billions of ill gotten wealth.

Babafemi’s words revealed a striking sequence of events in the heart of Lagos State, concealed within the busting tapestry of the Alaba International Trade Fair Complex, a warehouse where the sinister plot was uncovered.

The recently discovered warehouse harbor a large scale of illicit drugs.

Babafemi detailed the haul – 1.4 million pills of tramadol 225mg, amounting to 826 kilograms; 3.2 million pills of codeine, with a combined weight of 3,360 kilograms; and 2,841 cartons of codeine syrup, containing 284,100 bottles and 28,410 liters of the potent substance. The total street value of this discovery stood at an astounding estimate of N4,820,500,000.

Babafemi said “Recovered from the warehouse owned by a wanted billionaire drug baron, include 1.4 million pills of tramadol 225mg weighing 826kgs; 3.2 million pills of codeine with a gross weight of 3,360kgs; and 2,841 cartons of codeine syrup containing 284,100 bottles with 28,410 litres of the psychoactive substance, with a combined street value of N4,820,500,000 only.”

The operation itself was a mark of determination and precision.

The investigation followed diligent investigations following a tip off.

The arrested link, Ojukwu who is the Chief Security Officer to the elusive drug baron, had been an instrumental figure in the dark enterprise. His capture marked a significant breakthrough in the ongoing investigation.

“During the operation that lasted hours, a suspect, Paulinus Ojukwu, who is the Chief Security Officer to the wanted drug baron who parades as automobile spare parts dealer, was arrested and he is now assisting in the ongoing investigation,” Babafemi said.