Money-laundering: NDLEA arrests 6 for swallowing $156,000

Operatives of the of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, yesterday arrested a Bureau De Change operator and five other suspected money laundering syndicate for   swallowing $156,000  (N31, 083, 000.00) at Excel Oriental Hotel along Airport Road, Lagos.

The six suspects were arrested in the hotel while they were busy swallowing the large sums of money with the intention of exporting $156,000 to Brazil.

Speaking on the arrest, the chairman of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said  the six suspected members of the group, including a Bureau de Change operator, had been apprehended in connection with swallowing $156,000.

Alhaji Giade further pointed out that the agency would track down suspected drug  traffickers and currency launderers in a bid to rid the society of crimes.

According to him, operators of bureau de change who fail to work within the confines of the law establishing them shall be severely sanctioned.


Meanwhile, NDLEA Commander, Joint Task Force,  JTF, Mr. Adeniyi Muyiwa, gave the names of the suspects as Nwokenta Kingsley, 37, a Bureau de change operator, also known as Buchito;  Onwuasoanya

Augustine Chukwuemeka, 54, who lives in Brazil and Christian Okoli Ifor, 35, based in Brazil.
Others are Nwokenta Emmanuel Maduakolam, 31; Ezenwa Ikenna, 28, a specialist in wrapping; and Ezenwa Uzoma, a 33-year-old hotel manager.

He stressed that an interim investigation report by the anti-narcotics agency revealed that Mr. Nwokenta Kingsley, a.k.a Buchito was the brain behind the suspected criminal act.
According to Mr. Muyiwa, Mr. Kingsley allegedly supplied  $120,000 to be swallowed and illicitly exported to Brazil.

He said:  “Onwuasoanya Augustine Chukwuemeka swallowed 74 wraps of dollars amounting to one hundred and eleven thousand ($111,000). Christian Okoli Ifor who resides in Brazil had forty-five thousand dollars which he wanted to swallow. Nwokenta Emmanuel who is the manager of Amazon Bureau de Change played a supportive role in the alleged crime. Ezenwa Ikenna was hired to wrap the money.

NDLEA arrests notorious drug baron with cocaine

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday said it had arrested a suspected notorious drug baron, Azubuike Odugwe, over unlawful importation of 1.025kg of cocaine.

The Agency’s Spokesman, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said in a statement made available in Abuja that the arrest was made during inward screening of passengers on Emirates airline flight from Dubai.

It said that Odugwe was found with wraps of powdery substances that tested positive for cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

“ Odugwe, who is currently on bail over several drug charges brought against him by the Agency, was found with wraps of cocaine at the MMIA, Lagos.

“The wraps of cocaine were packed in duty-free polythene inside his luggage.

“This mode of drug concealment in duty-free bags is similar to the last drug charge involving him,’’ it said.

The statement also said that the suspected drug kingpin told investigators during interrogation that he had made a big mistake.

It said that Odugwe had pleaded not guilty to previous charges where drugs were not found on him, alleging that his enemies were behind his trial.

It also said that Ahmadu Garba, an NDLEA commander, described the arrest as a sign of what to expect in the future and promised to make the airport difficult for drug traffickers.

“I am happy with this high profile arrest. It is a good way to start and sign of better days ahead.

“The suspect travelled to Dubai on Sept. 6 and was arrested on Sept. 10 on arrival at the Lagos airport,” Garba said.

Ahmadu Giade, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, was also quoted as saying that the arrest of Odugwe was rewarding for the country’s fight against drugs.

“The game is up for the suspect who has been charged to court for sponsoring several drug couriers.

“This latest arrest is like the icing on the outstanding charges against him. He claimed to be an importer of legitimate goods but his source of income had been exposed.

“We shall diligently prosecute and dispossess him of illegal drug proceeds,’’ he said.

Giade also assured Nigerians that no drug baron shall escape the dragnet of justice.

On May 12, 2010,Odugwe was arraigned before Justice Mohammed Liman at the Federal High Court Ikoyi, Lagos, on three count charge of conspiracy, aiding and unlawful importation of heroin.

The accused pleaded not guilty to all counts of the charge and was remanded in prison custody.

Odugwe was nabbed in a follow-up operation to the arrest of Josephine Olehi who was caught with 3.150kg of heroin at the Lagos airport on Dec. 29, 2009 on arrival from Dubai aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight.

He had also been linked with two other cases involving heroin trafficking. He was arrested for sponsoring one Anagozie John Kennedy to Pakistan on July 26, 2007 to import 1.296 kilogrammes of substances that tested positive for heroin.

Similarly, on March 11, 2009, Odugwe was rearrested after another foiled attempt by him to take delivery of 3kg of heroin from a drug courier, Sodiq Hameed.

The drug was packed in a polythene bag and concealed inside a duty-free polythene bag similar to the mode of concealment adopted by Josephine Olehi.

The statement further said investigation conducted by the Agency then pointed to the accused as the mastermind of several cases involving unlawful importation of narcotics into the country, adding that Odugwe will be charged to court soon.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday said it had arrested a suspected notorious drug baron, Azubuike Odugwe, over unlawful importation of 1.025kg of cocaine.
The Agency’s Spokesman, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said in a statement made available in Abuja that the arrest was made during inward screening of passengers on Emirates airline flight from Dubai.
It said that Odugwe was found with wraps of powdery substances that tested positive for cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
“ Odugwe, who is currently on bail over several drug charges brought against him by the Agency, was found with wraps of cocaine at the MMIA, Lagos.
“The wraps of cocaine were packed in duty-free polythene inside his luggage.
“This mode of drug concealment in duty-free bags is similar to the last drug charge involving him,’’ it said.
The statement also said that the suspected drug kingpin told investigators during interrogation that he had made a big mistake.
It said that Odugwe had pleaded not guilty to previous charges where drugs were not found on him, alleging that his enemies were behind his trial.
It also said that Ahmadu Garba, an NDLEA commander, described the arrest as a sign of what to expect in the future and promised to make the airport difficult for drug traffickers.
“I am happy with this high profile arrest. It is a good way to start and sign of better days ahead.
“The suspect travelled to Dubai on Sept. 6 and was arrested on Sept. 10 on arrival at the Lagos airport,” Garba said.
Ahmadu Giade, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, was also quoted as saying that the arrest of Odugwe was rewarding for the country’s fight against drugs.

“The game is up for the suspect who has been charged to court for sponsoring several drug couriers.
“This latest arrest is like the icing on the outstanding charges against him. He claimed to be an importer of legitimate goods but his source of income had been exposed.
“We shall diligently prosecute and dispossess him of illegal drug proceeds,’’ he said.
Giade also assured Nigerians that no drug baron shall escape the dragnet of justice.
On May 12, 2010,Odugwe was arraigned before Justice Mohammed Liman at the Federal High Court Ikoyi, Lagos, on three count charge of conspiracy, aiding and unlawful importation of heroin.
The accused pleaded not guilty to all counts of the charge and was remanded in prison custody.
Odugwe was nabbed in a follow-up operation to the arrest of Josephine Olehi who was caught with 3.150kg of heroin at the Lagos airport on Dec. 29, 2009 on arrival from Dubai aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight.
He had also been linked with two other cases involving heroin trafficking. He was arrested for sponsoring one Anagozie John Kennedy to Pakistan on July 26, 2007 to import 1.296 kilogrammes of substances that tested positive for heroin.
Similarly, on March 11, 2009, Odugwe was rearrested after another foiled attempt by him to take delivery of 3kg of heroin from a drug courier, Sodiq Hameed.
The drug was packed in a polythene bag and concealed inside a duty-free polythene bag similar to the mode of concealment adopted by Josephine Olehi.

The statement further said investigation conducted by the Agency then pointed to the accused as the mastermind of several cases involving unlawful importation of narcotics into the country, adding that Odugwe will be charged to court soon.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/ndlea-arrests-notorious-drug-baron-with-cocaine/#sthash.5sbiGSav.dpuf

DRUG BUST: NDLEA arrests another Arik Air staff

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, yesterday, arrested another Arik Air staff, Mr.  Ikechukwu Oliver, an alleged accomplice in the smuggling of 20 kilogrammes of cocaine by Mr. Chika Udensi.

Udensi, a staff of the airline was arrested by the United Kingdom Border Force at Heathrow Airport, London, last Monday, with the drug.

London police arrest another Arik Air crew with cocaine

A crew member of Arik Air,  Mr.Chika Egwu Udensi, was on Monday night apprehended at Heathrow Airport, London, for allegedly peddling substances, suspected to be cocaine.

Spokesman of Arik Air, Mr. Ola Adebanji, confirmed the latest arrest.

NDLEA: Between facts and fiction – Bode-George

The present situation in the country where everybody seeks to take advantage of the publicly declared anti-corruption stand of the Buhari administration necessitates this response to the piece by one  Mr. Adekunle Yusuf serialised on Thursday, August 6, and Friday, August 7, 2015. Otherwise it would have been unnecessary to dignify the piece with a response.
roli bode-george.

NDLEA seizes N2.8b drugs at Lagos airport

NARCOTIC drugs weighing 455.215kg, with a street value of N2.8 billion, as well as $2.5 million, have been confiscated at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) between January and June this year.