Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 101-year-old great-grandmother identified as Esther Ogunmabo, for dealing in illicit drugs.
According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the centenarian was taken into custody on Saturday in the Ilisan area of Ogun State while in possession of retail sachets of skunk—a cannabis strain weighing 90 grams—which she admitted selling to local residents.
Babafemi added that the suspect claimed she turned to the cannabis and illicit drug trade after her provisions store was destroyed in a fire.
The statement indicates that one of the woman’s daughters, residing in Lagos, arranges for the substance to be supplied to her every four days, which she subsequently sells in small quantities.
However, owing to the suspect’s advanced age, NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Marwa ordered her release and placement in a counseling program, while her daughter was taken into custody.
In a related development on Friday, NDLEA operatives in Akwa Ibom intercepted a wooden boat allegedly transporting illicit drugs to Cameroonian fishing communities on the high seas.
Three suspects were apprehended while the vessel was en route to the Cameroonian fishing hubs of Ine Isu, Ine Mbah, and Ine Ikot Itie Udung.
Thailand seizures
Babafemi further stated that following the interception of two containers carrying cannabis indica, commonly known as Loud, at the Apapa and Lekki ports on Friday, the agency recorded its first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand via the maritime route.
He reported that the shipments originated from the Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand, carrying an estimated total street value exceeding N4.4 billion.
The intercepted containers reportedly contained 1,090.5 kilograms of Thai Loud, which was packaged across 54 cartons holding 2,181 individual 500-gram sachets.
Marwa commended the officers and personnel across the Ogun, Apapa, Lekki, Seme, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia, and FCT Commands for their successful execution of the various operations.
Backstory…
Meanwhile, the recent arrests comes only five months after the agency arrested a 74-year-old man at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, after cocaine concealed in food items was found in his luggage.
The suspect, identified as Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, was arrested in the airport’s departure hall on Saturday while trying to board a British Airways aircraft to London, according to a statement released on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, director of media and advocacy at NDLEA headquarters.
Read Also: NDLEA nabs 74-year-old man with ’11kg cocaine’ at Abuja airport
