The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a suspected billionaire drug baron.
The suspect identified as Chief Afam Mallinson Emmanuel Ukatu, is the Chairman of Mallinson Group.
The NDLEA Media Director, Femi Babafemi in a statement said the suspect knows about the N3 billion Tramadol deal involving Abba Kyari.
Kyari, a police officer is currently being detained for a drug-related crime.
The NDLEA has further disclosed that Ukatu was finally arrested at the MM2 terminal of the Lagos airport in Ikeja after months of attempts to arrest him.
NDLEA revealed that the suspect is a major importer of large consignments of different brands and high dosages of Tramadol Hydrochloride, ranging from 120mg, 200mg, 225mg and 250mg.
Ukatu owns pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he allegedly used as a cover to import illicit drugs into Nigeria.
“This is in addition to operating 103 bank accounts, most of which are used to launder money”, Babafemi noted.
The suspect came under NDLEA watch last year. This follows the seizure of five cartons of Tramadol 225mg from his staff on May 4th, 2021.
He had sent them to sell to undercover police officers (unknown to Ukatu), from the then Kyari-led IRT, in Lagos.
The price of a carton of Tramadol was negotiated at N17 million each as against the then black market value that ranged between N18 million and N20 million a carton.
After the arrest of Ukatu’s staff, Pius Enidom and Sunday Ibekwete, Kyari’s men were led to Mallinson’s warehouse at Ojota in Lagos where 197 additional cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized by the IRT.
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