NDLEA raids online drug trafficking cartel, nabs five in FCT

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that it has busted an alleged online drug trafficking cartel that sells drugged cookies, cakes, brownies, among other illicit substances to residents of Abuja, the nation’s capital.

NDLEA, in a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that the cartel uses the cyber space as its platform.

“As a result, five members of the organised drug criminal group were arrested during sting operations carried out between Friday 7th May and Saturday 8th May, 2021 by officers of the FCT Command of the Agency during which different brands of illicit drugs were recovered from them,” the statement said.

The suspects – Queen Nvene, Collins Ozoemena, Samson Peter, Chika Nvene, and Habila Musa – were said to specialise in clandestine production of drug-based cookies, brownies and other edibles; markets and sells same online, through their Twitter and Instagram handles.

They were also accused of selling all types of marijuana, Arizona, Colorado and Loud, among other illicit drugs, online.

The statement stressed, “While Queen Nvene, a graduate of Business Administration, produces drug cookies and brownies and sells same on Instagram, Collins Ozoemena sells all types of illicit drugs, especially Loud and skunk online.

“Samson Peter on the other hand, is the manager of SK express courier company, who manages motorcycles and dispatch riders to deliver illicit drugs from Collins and drugged edibles (cookies, cakes and brownies) from Queen and Chika, both sisters. Members of the cartel operate from different locations within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, but operate as a network.

“Their arrest followed online orders of drug-based edibles by undercover agents. Supplies of brownies and cookies were delivered and received from different SK Express dispatch riders at various times by narcotic operatives before the final sting operation.”

Mohammed Malami Sokoto, the FCT Commander of the Agency, explained that follow up raids of their various locations in Gudu, Kubwa, Lokogoma, Apo and Damangazo all in Abuja, led to the seizure of some illicit substances.

Items recovered from the suspects included 55 pieces of drugged cookies and brownies, 1.3 kilogrammes of skunk used as ingredient for making cookies and brownies, 0.9 grammes of ecstasy, popularly called molley, 300 grammes of skunk, 00 grammes of Loud and 300 grammes of skunk.

Other items recovered from the syndicate included : a dispatch motorcycle, various equipment for producing cookies and brownies, 10 telephone handsets and two laptops used for online drug trafficking transactions.

NDLEA said the suspects confessed to have a large platform of customers who order for drugs and drug-based cookies, brownies and edibles, on daily basis for parties and ceremonies, in and outside Abuja.

The suspects said they use the manager of SK Express courier company to deliver their products through motorcycle riders and power bikers popularly called droppers.

They further claimed they have been in the business for over three years.

Commenting on the development, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) lauded the FCT Command of the Agency, charging the officers not to rest on their oars.

“I’m particularly impressed with the speed with which the officers of our FCT Command disrupted the online drug trafficking cartel that has been ravaging the nation’s capital for over three years and I must commend them  for their recent feats”, Marwa said.