NDLEA nabs three linked to N3.3b Meth, Loud from Canada

Recovers N4.4b worth of opioids in Rivers

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a multi-billion-naira worth of shipments of Methamphetamine and Loud, a strong synthetic strain of cannabis at the Tincan seaport in Lagos.

The Guardian gathered that the illicit drugs were meant for distribution during the Christmas and New Year festive season, concealed in automobile spare parts imported from Canada but intercepted after months of intelligence-driven tracking of the cargoes across three continents.

Confirming the development in a statement yesterday, spokesperson for the agency, Femi Babafemi, said it was the first time in the history of NDLEA’s anti-narcotic operations, that two consignments of methamphetamine weighing 83.301 kilogrammes were recovered.

According to him, the illicit drugs were on Thursday, and Friday, December 12 and 13, 2024, recovered from separate containers bearing vehicles and spare parts coming from Canada and heading to warehouses in the Ladipo automobile parts market in Mushin area of Lagos.

“While one of the containers going to Ladipo market through the Sifax bonded terminal was examined on Thursday, December 12, not less than 5.001kg methamphetamine hidden in a bag wrapped in bed sheet that came in a Toyota Camry car, was recovered, even as a businessman, Isaac Onwumere linked with the consignment was promptly arrested.

“The other container bearing automobile spare parts checked on Friday, December 13, was found to contain 1, 735 parcels of Loud packed in 44 jumbo bags with a total weight of 867.5kg and six plastic coolers containing 87 packs of methamphetamine weighing 78.3kg.

“At least, two businessmen: Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe have been arrested in connection with the seizure. “The two meth consignments have a combined weight of 83.301kg worth N124 million while the 867.5kg Loud is worth over N2.1billion in street value. “The seizures were made during a joint examination of the shipments with Customs and other port stakeholders,” he said.

According to Babafemi, the interception followed months of intelligence processing and tracking of the consignments from their ports of loading in Canada to the landing port in Lagos by combined Special Operations Units in NDLEA and the Tincan Port Strategic Command of the Agency.

The first container with 5.001kg meth came under the radar of NDLEA’s intelligence network on October 4, 2024 when the preparation for the shipment began in Toronto, Canada, monitored through October 8, when the shipment was received at the rail ramp, loaded on the rail and departed to Montreal, Canada where it arrived and was unloaded the following day, October 9.

The consignment was further monitored till it was loaded on a vessel on October 19, through when the vessel arrived and discharged at Antwerp in Belgium on October 30, after which the consignment was trans-shipped and loaded on November 14, before arriving Lagos port on 1st December and released to a bonded terminal two days after.

The second shipment containing 867.5kg Loud and 78.3kg methamphetamine followed the same route. It came under NDLEA’s intelligence tracking on October 8, 2024 when the consignments were delivered to the shipper in Toronto, Canada, loaded on the rail on October 14, and arrived Montreal the following day, 15th, after which they were loaded on a vessel to Europe on October 20.

After arrival and trans-shipment at Antwerp in Belgium on November 16 and 17, respectively, the consignments were tracked till they arrived and discharged from the vessel at Lagos port on December 6, before being moved to the terminal on December 10.

At the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers state, about 636,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth over N4.4billion in street value were intercepted in shipments from India on Monday 9, Wednesday, 11 and Friday, December 13, 2024.

The seizures were made during joint examination of four containers by NDLEA officers, men of Customs and other security agencies at the port following processed credible intelligence on the shipments.