The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made significant seizures of illicit drugs at various ports in Nigeria. According to the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the agency intercepted consignments of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and codeine-based cough syrup worth more than N5bn. These seizures were made at the Apapa and Tincan Island ports in Lagos State and the Onne Port in Rivers State.
The seizures followed months of intelligence gathering and tracking of the consignments from their ports of origin. At the Apapa Port, Lagos, two containers shipped from Bangkok, Thailand, were subjected to 100 per cent examination. This led to the discovery of 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372m. The drugs were concealed in two refrigerators and two cartons inside one of the containers.
Further seizures were made at the Onne Port, Rivers State, where two containers watch-listed by the agency were subjected to joint examination with Customs and other security agencies. A total of 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg were discovered concealed in a travelling bag and three of five vehicles shipped in one of the containers. Additionally, the second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.
The combined street value of the codeine and Loud consignments seized at the Onne Port was N833.2m. The container originated from India and was shipped to Saudi Arabia, where its origin history was allegedly deleted to evade detection. At the Tincan Island Port, Lagos, NDLEA operatives conducted a joint examination of a watch-listed container shipped from Montreal, Canada, leading to the seizure of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg and valued at more than N3.8bn.
The NDLEA also made arrests and seizures at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. A 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, was arrested with 4.80kg of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and the railings of travelling bags. Tunde claimed to have paid N16m in cash for the cocaine and that the consignment was meant for delivery to his partner in Italy.
In addition to these operations, NDLEA operatives destroyed 20,234kg of skunk cultivated on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farms in Osun State. A suspect, Agbo Dennis, was arrested in Plateau State with 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg. The NDLEA also raided an unoccupied compound in Lagos, recovering 209,000 tablets of tramadol, and arrested several suspects in various operations across the country.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and men involved in the operations for their professionalism and intelligence-driven activities. Marwa urged the officers to sustain the agency's efforts against drug trafficking networks while maintaining its balanced approach to drug control. The agency continues its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities nationwide.
Key points
- The NDLEA seized over N5bn worth of cannabis and codeine-based cough syrup at Lagos and Rivers ports.
- The agency arrested several suspects and made significant seizures across the country.
- The NDLEA continues its efforts against drug trafficking networks and War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation activities.
