Supporting the War against Drug Cartels in the Country

The Medellín city cartel in Colombia, South America, was the first major drug cartel that began in the middle 1970s, when marijuana traffickers began smuggling small quantities of cocaine into the US. The cartel was a powerful and highly organized Colombian drug lords and terrorist organization, originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia, founded and led by Pablo Escobar.

It is often considered to be the first major drug cartel and was referred to as such due to the organization’s top echelons and overall power structure being built on a partnership between multiple Colombian traffickers operating alongside Pablo Escobar, Drug cartels generally distribute illicit substances such as cannabis sativa, cocaine, heroin, amphetamine, and others in large quantities to their agents, who then sell them on the streets to users.

The drugs distributed by cartels influence criminal activities such as theft, armed robbery, cult violence, prostitution, and rape. It is also noteworthy to say that terrorists, bandits, mass kidnappers, and murderers/rampaging across the country are heavy users of drugs.

In Nigeria, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) led by Brigadier General Buba Marwa (Retd) has been at the forefront of eradicating drug cartels in the country. Recently, the agency declared a couple, Kazeem Omogoriola Owolade and Rashidat Ayinke Owolade, wanted for running a cocaine cartel from India. This follows the arrest of four members of the syndicate in Lagos.

Also, last year, operatives of the agency busted a tramadol cartel in Lagos with the seizure of millions of opioid pills and bottles worth over five billion naira from their warehouse in the Amuwo Odofin Area of the State and arrested two of the kingpins.

Similarly, more than two months after they were declared wanted, operatives of NDLEA arrested three members of an organized criminal organization which specializes in illicit drug trafficking across Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Europe and America, Onyinyechi Igbokwuputa and Frankline Uzochukwu were arrested in Lagos and Awka, Anambra State, respectively, while another wanted member of the syndicate, Osita Emmanuel Obinna was equally nabbed in Lagos.

The biggest bust by NDLEA was at a major warehouse in a secluded estate in Ikorodu Area of Lagos where 1.8 tonnes of cocaine with a street value of $278 million were seized. According to the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, the seized drug is the biggest singular cocaine seizure in the history of the country. He added that four drug barons, including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager, were arrested.

In combating these organised illegal drug syndicates, the country must create a strong institution free from corruption and nepotism. Furthermore, there should be a re-energized national anti-drug strategy. In addition, the NDLEA should be re-vitalised, well-funded, and its personnel motivated, trained, and retrained with corrupt insiders in the security agencies identified, flushed out, and prosecuted.

It is imperative to note that stopping this drug cartel could invariably curb the security challenges the country is facing, as criminals most times perpetrate their evil acts under the influence of drugs.

Nigeria must sustain the fight against drug cartels to prevent the country from becoming a narcotic-infiltrated state, where drug lords wield enormous political influence, corrupt law enforcement agents, and judicial system, which will set the country on the paths of violence and criminality, thereby depriving her of the needed peace, prosperity, and progress.

Written by Jeffrey Ahonmisi