The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has reported that its operatives successfully intercepted illegal drug shipments concealed in unexpected items such as tins of tomato paste and used clothes destined for export to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

According to the NDLEA, they discovered a shipment of skunk hidden within tins of tomato paste, weighing approximately 20 kilograms. 

This discovery was made on Friday at the SAHCO export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos. 

In addition, the agency seized a shipment of methamphetamine weighing 1.60 kilograms from a courier company in Lagos.

Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, revealed these findings in a statement released on Sunday.

The NDLEA also disclosed that they intercepted another consignment of 556 grams of Canadian loud that was sent from Canada to an individual named Tunji Adebayo in Ikorodu, Lagos. 

The interception was carried out by NDLEA officers at the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, who were attached to courier firms.

In further operations, NDLEA operatives raided the hideout of a notorious drug lord in Akala, Mushin, Lagos, known as Abdul Rauf (aka ‘Na God’). 

They confiscated 1,101 kilograms of Ghanaian loud and arrested three suspects, while the kingpin remains at large.

In Kogi State, a 22-year-old named Agada Emmanuel was apprehended with 77.400 kilograms of cannabis along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway. 

Additionally, a total of 369,980 opioid pills were recovered on the same road. The suspect connected to this seizure, Kabiru Ahmad Abdullahi, was apprehended in Gombe State.

The NDLEA stated that they also confiscated 399 pieces of improvised explosive devices from an individual named Asana Oluwagbenga Leke, along the Mokwa-Jebba road, who claimed he was transporting them from Ibadan to Kaduna. 

The suspect and the explosives were subsequently handed over to military authorities in Niger State.

Other drug-related operations led to arrests and seizures in Ogun, Kano, Anambra, Niger, Edo, Yobe, and Imo States. 

These operations resulted in the arrest of numerous suspects and the confiscation of substantial quantities of various illegal substances, including cannabis and opioids.

NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the dedication and hard work of NDLEA officers across various commands and encouraged them to continue their efforts in both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.

In addition to these drug control efforts, NDLEA state commands and formations continued the Agency’s War Against Drug Abuse advocacy campaigns, targeting schools, places of worship, palaces, and local communities.