Crime / Drugs / Fraud / News

Abba Kyari: Police unravel identities of suspected drug barons, NDLEA collaborators

The Force Headquarters on Monday unraveled the identities of the suspected drug barons who allegedly colluded with Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari and four others to ferry illicit drugs into the country.

Abba Kyari and four of his team members were declared wanted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Monday.

The suspects had been arrested by the police and handed over to the NDLEA for further investigation. The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement in Abuja that some NDLEA officials were allegedly involved in the drug deal. He said that the police had carried out discreet investigation when it received a request from the NDLEA on February 10.

Adejobi said: “In line with standard administrative procedure of the Force, the Inspector General of Police ordered a high-level, discreet, and in-house investigation into the allegations.

“The interim investigations report revealed that two international drug couriers identified as Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus, both males, were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on January 19.

“The suspects were arrested upon their arrival from Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET917.

“The arrest led to the recovery of substantial quantity of powdery substance suspected to be cocaine from the two narcotic couriers.

“The operation which was intelligence-driven, was undertaken by a Unit of the Police Intelligence Response Team.”

Adejobi said the case and the two suspects were subsequently transferred to the NDLEA on January 25.

He said the findings of the in-house investigation ordered by the I-G, Usman Baba, established reasonable grounds for strong suspicion that the IRT officers involved in the operation could have been involved in some underhand and unprofessional dealings.

The Police spokesman said the finding showed that the officers were allegedly involved in official corruption, which compromised ethical standards in their dealings with the suspects and exhibits recovered.

He added: “Beyond this, the Police investigation also established that the international narcotics cartel involved in this case have strong ties with some officers of the National Drug Law …

Crime / News / Transportation

Nigerian Pilot, another found guilty in US of cocaine trafficking by air

A Nigerian pilot, Jibril Adamu, and a Gabonese, who is also a citizen of the United States of America and a pilot, Jean-Claude Okongo Landji, have been found guilty of conspiracy to use a US-registered aircraft to fly tons of cocaine between South America, Africa and Europe.

The United States of America Department of Justice announced the development in a statement on Wednesday.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Wendy C. Woolcock, Special Agent in Charge of the Special Operations Division of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, announced that a jury returned guilty verdicts against Adamu and Landji on the charge of conspiring to traffic five kilograms and more of cocaine on board an aircraft owned by a United States citizen and registered in the United States.

US District Judge Paul G. Gardephe presided over the two weeks trial. US. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As a jury found, Jean-Claude Okongo Landji and Jibril Adamu sought to exploit their abilities as pilots and use Landji’s private jet to smuggle multi-ton loads of cocaine from South America to West Africa and on to Europe and elsewhere.  Presuming they would be able to make regular runs to Europe, figuratively flying under the radar, Landji and Adamu were instead arrested in Croatia at the end of an initial test flight.  Now they await sentencing for their crime.”

The statement stated: “As reflected in the Indictment, public filings, and the evidence presented at trial: Beginning in or about October 2017, LANDJI, ADAMU, and others agreed to use a United States-registered Gulfstream G2 private jet owned by LANDJI, a United States citizen, to distribute multi-ton quantities of cocaine in South America, Africa, Europe, and elsewhere.  LANDJI and ADAMU, who are both pilots, planned to use the G2 and other aircraft to fly unregistered and untraceable ‘black flights’ with multi-thousand kilogram loads of cocaine from South America to West Africa to be unloaded at clandestine airstrips, including landing sites in the Sahara desert.  After the cocaine was off-loaded in …

Crime / Health / News

NAFDAC destroys over N2b worth of unwholesome products in South-West

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed unwholesome products worth over two billion, four hundred and eighty-two million,  six hundred thousand, two hundred and ninety naira only (N2,482,600,290.00) in the South-West.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General, NAFDAC, made the disclosure on Wednesday at the South-West Zonal Destruction of Expired Counterfeit, Substandard and Falsified Medical Devices and other Unwholesome Regulated Products.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Adeyeye was represented by Kingsley Ejiofor, Director , Investigations and Enforcement, NAFDAC,  at the event which took place at  Oke-Diya Dumpsite, Sagamu, Ogun.

She said: “The products being destroyed during this exercise are made up of Substandard and Falsified Medical Products, Unwholesome Processed Food Products, Unsafe Cosmetics, Counterfeits and other expired NAFDAC regulated products.

The NAFDAC D-G appealed to community leaders, faith based organizations, health practitioners and the media to continue to educate members of the public  to desist from patronizing quacks and hawkers of medicines and unwholesome foods.

She also appealed to members of the public to release valuable information that will help in getting information to fight against “these merchants of death whose only desire is to make out of the misery of the people”.

“This is wicked and must be stopped,” she said.…