Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted large consignments of codeine-based syrup and Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, worth over N2.185 billion in street value.
The seizures occurred at the Port Harcourt seaports, Onne, and Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, NDLEA’s Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Saturday.
According to the statement, NDLEA officers at the Lagos Airport, in cooperation with other security agencies, intercepted a significant consignment of Loud, packed in eight suitcases containing 320 parcels with a total weight of 164.50kg, on Friday, May 31, 2024.
The drugs were arriving from Canada on a KLM flight via Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The consignment, valued at N960 million, was brought in by a passenger, Ughenu Nnaife Francis, the agency said.
The discovery was made at the E-arrival hall of the airport during a joint search operation.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that Francis, a resident of Germany, had traveled to Toronto, Canada, to transport the drug to Nigeria. He confessed to being recruited as a mule for a fee of N6 million,” the statement said.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex intercepted a container marked TEMU 6807401 imported from India enroute to the C to C bonded terminal in Enugu.
During a joint examination on Monday, May 27, 2024, 1,750 cartons of codeine weighing 26,250kg, containing 175,000 bottles of the opioid worth N1.225 billion, were discovered, Babafemi noted.
Additionally, a 25-year-old woman, Blessing Thomas, was arrested in Abuja on Friday, May 31, with 1.0kg of methamphetamine while traveling in a commercial bus from Lagos to Yola, Adamawa state.
In Nasarawa state, operatives nabbed a 70-year-old grandfather, Muhammadu Ibrahim, with 57.2kg of cannabis in Lafia, the state capital, on Wednesday, May 29.
In Ekiti state, two suspects, Suleiman Kazeem (35) and Sunday Gbenga (20), were arrested when NDLEA officers raided Ara forest, Ara-Ekiti. They recovered 426kg of processed cannabis sativa and destroyed over 4,000kg of the substance on 1.66 hectares of farmland on Thursday, May 30.
Meanwhile, in Katsina state, 76 blocks of cannabis weighing 42kg were seized from a Nigerien, Suleman Audu (29), who was arrested along the Zaria – Malumfashi road on Wednesday, May 29.
NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative continued its sensitization activities in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities nationwide. Recent efforts included lectures at Community Secondary School, Okpuno, Awka, Anambra state; All Saints Church School, Jericho Eleyele, Ibadan, Oyo state; Western Marine College, Ajido, Badagry, Lagos; and Government Girls Secondary School, Buden Gari, Bichi, Kano state.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the efforts of the officers and men of MMIA, PHPC, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Katsina, and FCT Commands for their significant arrests and seizures.
He noted that their efforts have substantially reduced access to and availability of illicit substances in Nigerian communities. He urged them to remain vigilant and continue collaborating with other agencies and stakeholders.
