Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) have arrested a wanted drug kingpin behind the 2000.6kg Cannabis Sativa seized in a concrete mixer truck in Adamawa State on 2nd December 2021, Henry Chukwuneku Okamaru a.k.a. Lawrence Ik Okamaru.
A statement by Mr Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja issued to newsmen on Sunday, said the suspect was apprehended in Ondo state after five months of manhunt by operatives of the agency.
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According to the statement, two suspects, Matthew Donuwe and Friday Nmborgwu were arrested in connection to the consignment last December, adding that they had confessed that the concrete mixer truck with Lagos registration number SMK 890 XB was loaded with the illicit drug in Ogbese, Ondo state while they travelled for two months on the road before arriving in Adamawa where they were eventually arrested by NDLEA operatives.
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He said investigations revealed that Okamaru is one of the leaders of a cannabis cultivation cartel that operates in the Ondo-Ekiti axis, while he shuttles between Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Edo and Delta state from where he coordinates supplies of illicit consignments to Northern parts of the country and Lagos State.
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“The drug lord has also been identified as a member of an international drug trafficking ring, while he shuttles between Nigeria and South Africa where he settles his family.
“He has a strong control and stake in cannabis cultivation in Ondo, Edo, Ekiti, Osun and Oyo states with large storage facilities in Lagos and Abbi in Delta states from where his consignments are distributed year round,” the statement said.
