NDLEA arrests 80-year-old woman, grand-daughter, others with 192kg cocaine, heroin in Ondo
An 80-year-old woman, Mrs. Mary Adebayo, her 19-year-old granddaughter, Funmilola Adebayo and two other ladies have been arrested in Akure, the Ondo state capital by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), for selling assorted illicit drugs like cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, tramadol, swinol and skuchies.
A press statement by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, Wednesday, said following intelligence-based raids and follow up operations on their locations on Sunday 2nd May, 2021, over 192kilogrammes of cocaine and other psychoactive substances were recovered from the suspects while the octogenarian, her grand-daughter and two other ladies; Tessy Matthew and Blessing Adesida, were arrested.
Following the bust, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) has directed the acting Commander, Ondo state command of the agency, Callys Alumona to launch a manhunt for other members of the drug cartel now on the run.
The grandma and her granddaughter were arrested at 6:30am on Sunday at Ayeyemi Street, Akure south local government area. During the early morning raid, the following were recovered from them: skuchies – 149kg, cocaine-11grammes, methamphetamine-17grammes, heroin-3grammes, cannabis sativa- 4.914kg, swinol -8grammes and tramadol -49grammes. Also recovered from them were two deep freezers and a TVS motorcycle.
On the same date, at about 1:30pm, a raid carried out at Rate Hotel, Care Street, in Akure South LGA led to the arrest of 25-year-old Tessy Mathew from whom 33kilogrammes of skuchies were recovered. Following her preliminary interrogation, a follow up operation was immediately carried out, leading to the arrest of 25-year-old Blessing Adesida in Oshinle area of Akure South LGA.
Recovered from her include: skuchies-3kg and cannabis-7grammes. According to the state’s acting Commander of the Agency, Callys Alumona, other members of the two drug cartels have been watch listed and efforts to arrest them ongoing.
In a related development, operatives of the Adamawa command of the NDLEA have arrested a 58-year-old Victor Chinedu Anwanya, and 47-year-old Femi Abiodun, with 80 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 76kilogrammes, concealed in three white sacks tucked in the booth of a Toyota Avalon car with registration number: LAGOS DC 997 FST.
According to the state Commander of NDLEA, Idris Bello, the suspects were arrested on Monday 3rd May, 202 at about 6am in Mayo Belwa town, Mayo Belwa LGA, Adamawa State. “They took off from Auchi in Edo State. Also recovered from them was a fake Police Warrant Card bearing the name of Chinedu Anwanya with the rank of a DSP,” the commander of narcotics stated.
