The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug dealer, for attempting to smuggle illicit drugs to the United Kingdom.

According to the agency, the suspect, Okoli Collins Ikenna, was the mastermind of recent multiple attempts to export illicit drugs to London, in the United Kingdom, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), and some courier companies.

In a statement on Sunday, the Director, Media, and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi revealed that Okoli has been on court bail following his arrest in November 2020, and subsequent arraignment before a Lagos Federal High Court, for attempting to export 15.700kgs of Methamphetamine to Australia.

The suspect was arrested on Tuesday, November 2, with 78 parcels of Cannabis, concealed in black soap packs labelled as Dudu Osun, with a total weight of 12.250 kilograms heading to the United Kingdom after a series of investigations into recent multiple attempts to export illicit drugs to the UK.

Furthermore, the agency stated that Okoli is the one behind the attempt to export 7.350kgs of Cannabis to the UK on Thursday, October 21, a consignment that was intercepted at the NAHCO export shed of the MMIA.

Meanwhile, a separate investigation by operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) of the agency attached to courier companies traced two other attempts to export 47.7kgs of cannabis to the UK, through courier firms, to Okoli, after his agents were arrested in the course of investigation named him as the owner of the consignments.

Babafemi also explained that desperate bids by traffickers to export over two kilograms of cocaine, methamphetamine, and cannabis hidden inside containers of body cream, tea bags, vehicle oil, and air filters to London, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirate, and New Zealand, through two major courier firms in Lagos were scuttled by narcotic officers of the NDLEA.

He noted that over 261kgs of various illicit substances were intercepted by operatives of the agency in Kano, Kogi, and Osun states.

Following the development, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA command, DOGI, and their counterparts in Kano, Kogi, and Osun for sustaining the heat on the cartels across the country.

He encouraged them and their compatriots in other commands to intensify the offensive action against all merchants of death in Nigeria.