Hello Friends!
What would we not see or hear in Nigeria? How desperate can people get? How selfish and wicked can they go, just to make a few bucks? This is cruel!!!
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Monday acknowledged the sophistication of drug traffickers in the country, saying some of them were caught by the agency with liquidised cocaine, which were packaged as juice.
The Chairman of NDLEA, Mr. Ahmadu Giade, who said this while presenting the agency’s 2011 scorecard in Lagos on Monday, explained that apart from the juice-like packaging, some of the drug traffickers also ingested the liquid cocaine.
Giade said, “The liquid cocaine that was first intercepted was packaged to look like juice sent through courier service from Trinidad and Tobago.
“In another case, it was difficult for the machine to pick out the liquid form of cocaine in the tummy of a trafficker, but our personnel were meticulous, before our sophisticated machines finally discovered it.”
Giade said the traffickers also hid drugs in bed sheets, engine pistons, soles of shoes, television sets and food packs to prevent them from being detected.
The NDLEA boss said the agency seized drugs worth N31bn in 2011, while it found and destroyed 918 hectares of farms containing cannabis.
He said, “The agency in 2011 apprehended and invited for investigation 8,639 suspected drug traffickers, 8,072 of which were males and 567 females.
“The highest number of suspected drug traffickers, 1,281 persons, were apprehended in Kano State, while Lagos came second with 382 persons.”
The agency’s table of drug seizure also indicated that Ondo State took the lead with 55,472.96kg of cannabis seized in the state.
Giade indicated that the agency lacked enough funds to perform its functions to a satisfactory level, adding that it would be helpful if government legislation could permit the agency to keep a percentage of the money it confiscated.
He said, “Monetary exhibits confiscated in 2011 included N856,025; $90,078 (N14,201), 14,635 pounds (N3,658,750), 91,610 euros(N19,173,712) and 37,700 Japanese yen (N71,867).
“But all were remitted to government treasury. I am aware that the anti-drug agencies in some countries are allowed to keep a percentage of money confiscated, but that kind of practice is backed by law in those countries.”
According to the NDLEA boss, investigation revealed that substantial quantities of cocaine imports originated from Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, while heroin was usually imported from India, Pakistan and Iran.
He added that collaboration with other countries had made some arrests and seizures possible, citing the example of 35-year-old Deon Lee, who had the alias, Olusegun Babajide, a drug baron on the wanted list of Serious Organised Crime Agency of Britain.
It was learnt that the agency prosecuted 1,501 drug related cases in 2011, 1,491 of which the agency won.
The NDLEA boss could not, however, say much on the saga of the popular Yoruba actor, Babatunde Omidina, “Baba Suwe,” who was detained by the agency for drug ingestion but did not excrete it.
The court had ordered the payment of N25m to Omidina after he sued the agency.
“The appeal against the award of damages to him by the court has been filed but a date for the hearing has not been assigned,” he said.
Giade said the agency’s activities in 2011 surpassed those of 2010 and promised that 2012 would be a year of better performance by the NDLEA.
Giade said the traffickers also hid drugs in bed sheets, engine pistons, soles of shoes, television sets and food packs to prevent them from being detected.
The NDLEA boss said the agency seized drugs worth N31bn in 2011, while it found and destroyed 918 hectares of farms containing cannabis.
He said, “The agency in 2011 apprehended and invited for investigation 8,639 suspected drug traffickers, 8,072 of which were males and 567 females.
“The highest number of suspected drug traffickers, 1,281 persons, were apprehended in Kano State, while Lagos came second with 382 persons.”
The agency’s table of drug seizure also indicated that Ondo State took the lead with 55,472.96kg of cannabis seized in the state.
Giade indicated that the agency lacked enough funds to perform its functions to a satisfactory level, adding that it would be helpful if government legislation could permit the agency to keep a percentage of the money it confiscated.
He said, “Monetary exhibits confiscated in 2011 included N856,025; $90,078 (N14,201), 14,635 pounds (N3,658,750), 91,610 euros(N19,173,712) and 37,700 Japanese yen (N71,867).
“But all were remitted to government treasury. I am aware that the anti-drug agencies in some countries are allowed to keep a percentage of money confiscated, but that kind of practice is backed by law in those countries.”
According to the NDLEA boss, investigation revealed that substantial quantities of cocaine imports originated from Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, while heroin was usually imported from India, Pakistan and Iran.
He added that collaboration with other countries had made some arrests and seizures possible, citing the example of 35-year-old Deon Lee, who had the alias, Olusegun Babajide, a drug baron on the wanted list of Serious Organised Crime Agency of Britain.
It was learnt that the agency prosecuted 1,501 drug related cases in 2011, 1,491 of which the agency won.
The NDLEA boss could not, however, say much on the saga of the popular Yoruba actor, Babatunde Omidina, “Baba Suwe,” who was detained by the agency for drug ingestion but did not excrete it.
The court had ordered the payment of N25m to Omidina after he sued the agency.
“The appeal against the award of damages to him by the court has been filed but a date for the hearing has not been assigned,” he said.
Giade said the agency’s activities in 2011 surpassed those of 2010 and promised that 2012 would be a year of better performance by the NDLEA.
Source: Punch Metro...
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Simply Cheska...
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