The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Sunday announced the arrest of a wanted drug baron, Frank Chijioke Ibemesi — popularly known as Chisco Bee — following weeks of intelligence gathering and covert surveillance.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement that the 42-year-old suspect, who fronts as a businessman and hotelier and serves as MD/CEO of Franc CJ Ibemesi Nig. Ltd, was picked up by the agency’s Special Operations Unit at his Daisy Garden Hotel, located at 66–68 Agbeke Street, Ago Palace Way, Isolo, Lagos, in the early hours of Saturday.
Babafemi added that operatives subsequently led the suspect to his warehouse at 7 Pius Ezeobi Street, also off Ago Palace Way, where they recovered 42 jumbo bags and four cartons of Loud — a potent strain of cannabis — with a total weight of 1,762.8 kilograms.
According to the statement, also seized from him at the point of his arrest include: $11,600 US dollars; 2,000 British Pounds; 2,200 Euros and 50 Canadian dollars, all in cash.
Babafemi also said an attempt by a drug syndicate operating at Orita-Apeje, Araromi-Okeodo forest reserve, Ife South LGA, Osun state, to load and distribute across the country large quantities of processed skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 11,135 kilograms, was thwarted last Tuesday by NDLEA operatives after days of surveillance in the forest.
The statement reads, “Two trucks being used to transport the illicit consignments: a Volvo truck marked WWR 29 XA and a Mercedes truck with registration number AWK 713 YZ were seized, and seven suspects arrested. Those in custody in connection with the seizure are: Lucky Abiodun; Julius Amos; Victor Ngbikili; Sunday Oduegwu; Ibrahim Akanni; Eze Godstime; and Fred Ifeanyichukwu.
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“A total of 1,902.1 kilograms of skunk were recovered in parts of Edo state. While 184.1kg was recovered along a bush path at Oza/Igbanke road, Igbanke, in Orhionmwon LGA on Thursday, 13th November, 672kg was evacuated from Utese forest, Ovia North East LGA on Friday, 14th Nov, with 494kg recovered from a Mercedes-Benz car marked DE311BEN along
Benin-Akure road, where a suspect, Felix Edah, 45, was arrested the same day, just as Lucky Abagha, 51, was nabbed in another Mercedes-Benz car marked JJJ 56 JW, conveying 552kg.
“While four suspects, Michael Okoh, Offor Agada, Raphael Nkemjika, and Nwabueze Franklin, were arrested with 68kg of skunk and 3.150kg of methamphetamine along the Ijebu-Ode expressway in Ogun state. Danjuma Tukura, 50, was nabbed with 172kg of skunk at Sunkani area of Ardo Kola LGA, Taraba state, on Friday, 14th November, and Wisdom Titus, 24, with 84kg of the same substance at Takum area of the state.
“In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives on Friday, 14 November, recovered 396,000 tramadol capsules from a 50-year-old suspect, Ahmed Isyaku Nda, at the Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola. In Nasarawa State, officers also evacuated 785kg of skunk from the warehouse of a fleeing drug dealer at Asob Maraba Karu.
“Two suspects — Jamiu Kunle Kardoso and Oriyomi Waliu — were arrested the same day in the Surulere area of Lagos with 130 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 65.150kg, while Taofeek Moraina was caught at Otto, Oyingbo, with 282 blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 141kg.
“In Kwara State, operatives on Thursday, 13 November, intercepted a truck marked T-T-T-T-T-0262KT along the Ilorin–Jebba Expressway, seizing 197 blocks of skunk weighing 78.565kg, along with 155 cartons of rubber solution. The driver, Umar Yakubu, was detained. In a separate operation on Wednesday, 12 November, a commercial bus (KJA-657CY) was intercepted at Eiyenkorin, Ilorin, where officers recovered 20 blocks of skunk hidden inside a 50-litre jerrycan and arrested the driver, Ibrahim Bello.”
