The Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made significant seizures of loud and codeine-based syrup worth over N5 billion in various ports across the country. According to the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the seizures were made following months of intelligence gathering and tracking of shipments from their ports of origin. The operations were conducted at the Apapa, Tincan Island, and Onne seaports.
At the Apapa Port in Lagos, NDLEA officers acting on intelligence subjected two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, to 100 per cent examination alongside the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders. A search of one of the containers yielded 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million. The consignment was concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons.
Further seizures were made at the Onne Port in Rivers State, where two containers watch-listed by the NDLEA based on processed intelligence were subjected to joint examination with Customs and other security agencies. The exercise led to the discovery of 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg, hidden inside a travelling bag and three of five vehicles shipped in one of the containers. The second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.
The codeine and Loud consignments recovered at the Onne Port had a combined street value of N833.2 million. According to Babafemi, the container had left India for Saudi Arabia, where its history of origin was deleted to prevent it from being targeted. The NDLEA operatives also made a significant seizure at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
At the Tincan Island Port, NDLEA operatives conducted a joint examination of a watch-listed container from Montreal, Canada, alongside Customs and other stakeholders. The operation resulted in the seizure of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg and valued at over N3.8 billion in street value. The cannabis was concealed inside a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, alongside 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags in the container.
In addition to the port seizures, NDLEA officers raided the residence of a 35-year-old suspect, Saturday Omimi, at Uyere community in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, recovering 32.2kg of cannabis sativa. Another suspect, 23-year-old Osazuwa Iyabor Michael, was arrested at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with various substances, including 59 grams of Loud and 16 grams of methamphetamine.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended officers and men of the various commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the successful operations. Marwa urged the officers to sustain the agency’s efforts against drug trafficking networks while continuing with its current balanced approach to drug control.
Key points
- The NDLEA seized loud and codeine-based syrup worth over N5 billion in various ports across Nigeria.
- The seizures were made following months of intelligence gathering and tracking of shipments from their ports of origin.
- The NDLEA operatives conducted joint examinations with Customs and other stakeholders at the Apapa, Tincan Island, and Onne seaports.
