The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted parcels of illicit drugs concealed in a specially constructed compartment of a bus.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi in a post on X on Sunday on Sunday explain ed that the hidden compartment, designed to evade detection, was used to smuggle illegal substances across international borders.
Babafemi also shared videos of the seized contraband, stressing the sophistication of concealment methods deployed by the drug traffickers.
He said, “But for Intel & professionalism of #ndlea_nigeria officers, how could anyone have imagined that one needs to remove a vehicle’s bumper to discover this specially constructed compartment in the belly of a bus solely for trafficking drugs across borders? Another cartel taken down!”
According to the NDLEA spokesman, the anti-narcotics agency arrested “four members in intelligence-led operations during which multi-million-naira worth of tramadol pills concealed in the bumper and false bottom of Sienna buses heading to border towns were recovered.”
He said the arrest followed weeks of intelligence and surveillance operations by operatives of the Directorate of Intelligence in NDLEA.
Two suspects – Zahradeen Adamu, 27 and Abubakar Usman, 44 – were apprehended in the vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra state en route Yola, Adamawa state.
Similarly, a second Sienna bus driven by Abba Usman, 48, was also intercepted.
“During a search of the two vehicles, specially constructed steel compartments were discovered after the removal of the back bumper where a total of 190, 960 pills of tramadol were concealed and, in the space, designed to house the spare tyre of the vehicles.
“Investigations revealed that an Onitsha, Anambra state-based dealer, Kingsley Mbaeri was the supplier of the seized tramadol consignment. A swift follow up operation led to the arrest of Mbaeri at his Uga Street, Onitsha home on 29th January. Two vehicles: a Toyota Corolla car marked FGG 948 MF and a Toyota Sienna bus marked GWA 23 HH were recovered from his houseChannels.”
