A well-known drug kingpin, specialising in sponsoring young Nigerians to smuggle Class A drugs to Europe, particularly Italy, has been apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The arrest took place late on Friday, July 21, when NDLEA operatives raided his hotel room in the Okota area of Lagos. The kingpin, identified as Charles Uwagbale, 48, had recruited Uju Dominic, 35, from Italy to come to Nigeria and swallow 100 pellets of cocaine on July 21, intending to return to Italy on July 22 for distribution.
According to a statement released by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, everything was going as planned, with the mule arriving in Nigeria and checking into the Golden Heaven Hotel on Enoma Street, Okota, Lagos. Uwagbale had provided 93 wraps of cocaine for him to ingest around 11:45 pm on Friday night. However, NDLEA operatives, following credible intelligence, swooped in and arrested both individuals while they were in the process. The authorities also seized the drug exhibits, which weighed a total of 1.427 kilograms.
In addition to this arrest, the Lagos State Command of the NDLEA had conducted a raid on July 20 in Akala, Mushin area, where they found and confiscated 37.5 kilograms of cannabis from the home of a fleeing suspect.
Drug kingpin, Charles Uwagbale and his Mule, Uju Dominic