By Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Chief Afam Mallinson Emmanuel Ukatu, the billionaire drug baron behind the N3billion Tramadol deal involving the embattled suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari-led Intelligence Response Team.
In a statement on Monday, NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi disclosed that Ukatu who is Chairman of Mallinson Group of Companies was nabbed onboard a flight to Abuja at the MM2 terminal of the Lagos airport, Ikeja on Wednesday, April 13 — after months of surveillance and evading arrest.
According to the statement, investigations have revealed that the billionaire businessman has been a major importer of large consignments of different brands and high dosages of Tramadol Hydrochloride, ranging from 120mg, 200mg, 225mg and 250mg, all of which are illicit.
Ukatu is said to own pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he used as a cover to import illicit drugs into Nigeria. He also operates 103 bank accounts, most of which are used for money laundering purposes.
The anti-narcotic agency noted that he came under watch in 2021 after five cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized from his staff on May 4, 2021 when he sent them to sell to undercover police officers (unknown to Ukatu) from the then Kyari-led IRT of the Nigeria Police, Ikeja Lagos.
“The price of a carton of Tramadol was negotiated at N17million each as against the then black market value that ranged between N18million and N20million a carton in Lagos,” the statement.
Following the arrest of Ukatu’s staff identified as Pius Enidom and Sunday Ibekwete, Kyari’s men were then led by the suspects to Mallinson’s warehouse at Ojota in Lagos where 197 additional Cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized by the IRT Team. The monetary value of the 202 cartons of Tramadol seized from Mallinson in one day was over N3billion.
However, the Kyari-led IRT team, three weeks after the seizure, transferred only 12 Cartons of the Tramadol with one truck and a suspect to the Lagos Command of the NDLEA, leaving 190 cartons unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, Kyari and four top members of his team are already facing trial for a different but similar offence at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
