The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have intercepted no fewer than 1,194 cylinders of laughing gas with a total weight of 2,547.2 kilograms loaded in two Toyota Sienna buses.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.
Babafemi said that the laughing gas consignment was confiscated along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway.
“Two suspects: Onyebuchi Ikpozu and Kenneth Igwe who were taking the consignments to the nation’s Federal Capital Territory for distribution have been arrested and taken into custody.
“While one of the Toyota Sienna buses marked KTU 582 HV was conveying 99 cartons containing 594 cylinders weighing 1,267.200kgs, the second bus with registration number FKJ 329 YA was conveying 100 cartons of the substance with 600 cylinders weighing 1,280kgs.
“A 48-year-old woman, Mrs. Ugo Eluba was also arrested in Abuja in a follow up operation after 2,400 ampules of pentazocine injection and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 intercepted in Kogi state were traced to her,” he said.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA spokesman said the laughing gas consignments were part of over four tons of illicit and controlled drugs intercepted by the agency during interdiction operations in Lagos, Kogi, FCT, Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto and Edo states.
Others are skunk, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and tramadol, Babafemi said.