Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a consignment of 26.150kilogrammes of heroin with a street value of over N6.5billion at the SAHCO shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The illicit drug had arrived Lagos in 25 parcels from South Africa through an Air Peace Airline flight on June 30, 2021 and was detained for screening following reasonable suspicion of the content of the consignment.
A follow-up operation was subsequently carried out the following day, July 1, when narcotic officers of the MMIA command trailed the driver and a clearing agent that were assigned to deliver the consignment to the house of a baron, Tony Chidi Onwurolu at No. 132 Lateef Adegboyega Street, off Ago palace way by Grandmate bus stop Okota, Lagos.
During the follow-up operation, Onwurolu who obviously mounted a counter-surveillance around his neighbourhood fled his home before the arrival of the team of operatives, who stormed his residence.
They were, however, able to search his home and recover a number of documents to establish his true identity.
NDLEA spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said following the development, the chairman/chief executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) has directed that the fleeing drug baron, Onwurolu, be declared wanted immediately and his details submitted to INTERPOL for tracking across the world.
Marwa also directed the agency’s directorate of assets and financial investigations as well as the directorate of intelligence to deploy their networks to fast-track the arrest of Onwurolu.
Marwa said in view of the volume of heroin brought into country by the fleeing baron, the agency would deploy all available mechanisms, locally and internationally, to track him and bring him to face charges in the law court.
“Those who have been on the run for 10 years and some for five years, we have since tracked them and are now facing charges while cooling their heels behind bars. The latest one won’t be an exception, because he can only run but can’t hide for too long before we get him,” Marwa vowed.
In the same vein, operatives of the command also intercepted a 4.3kg of skunk imported from Canada.
The package, which came on Ethiopian airline, was concealed in nine packs of cereals.
