How Two Drug Traffickers Were Nabbed Using Fake Presidency Plate Numbers, Jailed 35 Years (Photos)

Two drug traffickers, who were apprehended in 2024 inside cars bearing fake presidency number plates, have each been sentenced to 35 years in jail.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in collaboration with their military counterparts, had intercepted a massive load of 626 blocks of cannabis weighing 500.8kg from the two suspects near the Numan Bridge, Numan, in Adamawa State.

The illegal consignment, said to have been in transit from Ondo State to Mubi, Adamawa State, was hidden in two tinted vehicles: a Toyota Hilux (Lagos NT 829 AAA) and a Prado SUV (01B-266 FG), both bearing fake presidency number plates.

The number plates were intended to deceive traffic security personnel and avoid proper checks, but the ruse failed. The now-convicted drug traffickers were arrested, and the vehicles, along with the illicit contents, were seized.

The culprits, Shuaibu Nuhu Isa, 55, and Zidon Zurga, 50, were apprehended on 25 November 2024 along the Numan-Yola road, and legal proceedings were instituted against them.

After facing trial before Justice Bala Usman of the Federal High Court in Yola, they were convicted on Friday, 7 March 2025, and sentenced to 35 years in prison each.

The court also ordered that the two vehicles used for the illicit operation be forfeited.

Reacting to the development, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri commended NDLEA and security agencies for their commitment to making Adamawa State drug-free.

The governor encouraged individuals struggling with drug addiction to embrace a better future and contribute positively to society.