Tuesday, July 9, 2024 - A major drug cartel behind the production and distribution of deadly psychoactive substance, methamphetamine, popularly called ‘mkpuru mmiri’ has been taken down by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, following the arrest of the leader of the syndicate, 42-year-old Joachin Chikaodi Mbonu and his associate in his mansion tucked in his Umuomi village, Uzogba-Ezenomi autonomous community, Ikeduru local government area of Imo State.
A statement from the spokesperson of the
anti-drug agency, Femi Babafemi, says the cartel with operational bases in Imo
and Rivers state became a target of the Agency following intelligence
indicating it is responsible for the distribution of substantial quantities of
methamphetamine in South East, South-South and other parts of the
country.
‘’After
weeks of surveillance, officers of a special operations unit of the Agency on
Friday 5th July 2024, tracked and traced the drug lord to his village mansion
in Imo state where he was caught with a member of his cartel, Kenneth Chibuike
Ofoegbu, 34, with different quantities of methamphetamine, its precursor
chemicals, a pump action gun and cartridges recovered''
Babafemi said exhibits recovered from the
house include: 419.99 grams of methamphetamine; 750 grams of iodine, a
precursor chemical for meth; 500 grams of sodium bicarbonate, a precursor
chemical for meth; two electronic weighing scales and a pump action gun with
four cartridges.
He stated that the operatives moved swiftly to another of Mbonu’s hideouts located at 11 Redemption Avenue, Port Harcourt, Rivers state where they recovered additional exhibits: 750 grams of processed sodium bicarbonate; 170 grams of plain sodium bicarbonate and 75 grams of meth.
Another raid in the home of one of
Mbonu’s associates, Odoemenam Pedro Chinedu, currently at large, at Njaba LGA,
Imo state, led to the recovery of another pump action gun with 25 cartridges,
among other items. While the kingpin cools his heels in custody, two of his
mansions in Imo state have been marked for possible forfeiture to the federal
government.
‘’Mbonu had escaped from South Africa
where he lived for years and mastered the art of cooking methamphetamine after
he came under investigation for drug dealings. Upon his return to Nigeria, he
continued the criminal trade by setting up clandestine laboratories in remote
villages to shield his nefarious activities.'' Babefmi said
Reacting to the successful taking down of the meth
syndicate, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd)
commended the officers and men involved in the multi-pronged operation, stating
that how the interdiction was carried out should send a strong signal to other
cartels that there’s no hiding place for them in any part of the country.
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