The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has re-arrested an 83-year-old woman, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, for alleged drug trafficking, barely a year after her conviction, as part of a series of nationwide operations that led to major drug seizures and arrests across several states.
According to a statement by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, the woman was arrested on October 7 at her residence in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State. The agency alleged that she had returned to the illicit drug trade after paying a court-imposed fine following her previous conviction.
In Rivers State, operatives working with the Nigeria Customs Service arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, at Port Harcourt International Airport with 32.74kg of cannabis concealed in two travelling bags. The suspect was reportedly travelling from Thailand through Doha.
The agency also intercepted 354,000 tablets of tapentadol weighing 307.20kg at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, alongside other consignments of illicit substances in several states.
Other operations across Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Kano and Kaduna resulted in the recovery of large quantities of cannabis, tramadol, diazepam and other prohibited substances, with multiple suspects arrested.
In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives recovered firearms and ammunition during a raid on a residence in Jos. The items included two pump-action rifles, a locally made gun, 199 live cartridges and other ammunition, alongside a quantity of methamphetamine.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the agency’s personnel for their intelligence-driven operations and urged them to sustain efforts to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse across the country.
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