Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency intercepted large consignments of codeine-based syrup and Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, worth over ₦2.18 billion in street value.
The drugs were seized at the Port Harcourt seaports, Onne, and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi confirmed the operation. He said, “At the Lagos airport, NDLEA officers, with the cooperation of other security agencies, intercepted a large consignment of Loud, packed in eight suitcases on Friday, 31st May 2024.”
He explained, “The suitcases contained 320 parcels with a total weight of 164.50 kg of the strong psychoactive substance, coming from Canada on a KLM flight via Amsterdam, Netherlands. The consignment, estimated to be worth ₦960,000,000, was discovered at the E-arrival hall of the airport during a joint search operation. The suspect, Ughenu Nnaife Francis, attempted to smuggle the suitcases out of the hall.”
Preliminary investigations revealed that Francis, a resident of Germany, had traveled to Toronto, Canada, to transport the drug to Nigeria. “During his interview, he claimed that he was recruited as a mule to convey the drug to Nigeria for an agreed fee of Six Million Naira,” Babafemi added.
At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, NDLEA operatives intercepted a container on Monday, 27th May. The container, marked TEMU 6807401, was imported from India and en route to the C to C bonded terminal in Enugu. “During a joint examination of the container by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies, 1,750 cartons of codeine weighing 26,250 kg, containing 175,000 bottles of the opioid worth ₦1,225,000,000, in street value, were discovered,” Babafemi stated.
In other operations, NDLEA officers made several arrests and seizures across the country. In Abuja, a 25-year-old lady, Blessing Thomas, was arrested with 1.0 kg of methamphetamine on Friday, 31st May, while traveling from Lagos to Yola, Adamawa state.
In Nasarawa state, a 70-year-old grandfather, Muhammadu Ibrahim, was arrested with 57.2 kg of cannabis in Lafia on Wednesday, 29th May. In Ekiti state, two suspects, Suleiman Kazeem, 35, and Sunday Gbenga, 20, were arrested in Ara forest, Ara-Ekiti, where 426 kg of processed cannabis sativa was recovered, and over 4,000 kg was destroyed on 1.66 hectares of farmland on Thursday, 30th May.
In Katsina state, 76 blocks of cannabis weighing 42 kg were seized from a Nigerien, Suleman Audu, 29, on Wednesday, 29th May.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers for their efforts, noting that their actions have significantly reduced the availability of illicit substances in Nigerian communities. Marwa urged them to remain vigilant and continue collaborating with other agencies and stakeholders.
