Police Bust Dismissed Soldier Aiding Syndicate To Smuggle Hard Drugs

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

Police operatives from the Lagos State Command have busted and arrested a dismissed soldier and his accomplice for aiding the syndicate that specialised in smuggling Indian hemp and hard drugs in Lagos.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspects, a dismissed soldier, identified as Okoliko Andrew, and his partner, Idowu Adebayo, were intercepted with vehicles in which they were conveying 24 loaded bags of 1,200 kg of substances suspected to be Indian hemp around Itowolo towards Ikorodu area of the state.
The suspects were said to have initially contravened the law by plying on BRT lane around Itowolo, an offence which is against the State Traffic laws as motorists had been prohibited from plying the BRT corridors.However, upon further interrogation by the Police operatives attached to the State Task Force team, the suspects who were parading themselves as uniformed men ran out of luck after it was discovered that they were smuggling substances.
An eyewitness disclosed that the suspects when initially stopped by the Task Force team for plying BRT corridor tried but that they could not bail themselves out of the trouble.
“Trouble started when they failed to properly identify themselves as they had earlier claimed during initial interrogation. So, acting with on the spot intelligence, the Task Force team stopped them and upon further interrogation, they discovered they were carrying banned substances which led to their arrest,” he said.
Another source from the Task Force team, who did not want his name in print because he was not authorized to speak to newsmen, said the Police seized 24 bags of 50kg of Indian hemp and also recovered other outlawed drugs from the suspects.
The source disclosed that the suspects, who met their waterloo, were intercepted driving two vehicles which were Toyota Corolla with registration number CE APP 903FR and a Peugeot 307 with registration CB 686 ABJ, and were said to be living at No. 1 Pedro Compound, Charley Boy, area of the state.
The source added that the arrested suspects claimed they were to deliver the bags of Indian hemp to someone at Sura Market at Lagos Island and that the owner of the banned substances promised to pay them N50,000 after delivering the substances.
However, efforts to reach the Chairman of Lagos Taskforce, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, and the agency’s Head of Public Affairs Unit, Adebayo Taofiq, proved abortive.The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, later confirmed the arrest and the items as exhibits now in Police custody.
“I just got the confirmation. The suspects are in our custody, the vehicle and exhibits were also recovered. We have commenced investigation into the case. Not sure whether they are impersonators, fake or dismissed soldiers as reported but investigation will reveal please” Elkana said.