The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has intercepted drug consignments worth more than ₦5 billion at the Lagos and Onne ports and arrested a businessman allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.80 kilogrammes of cocaine to Italy.
The 38-year-old suspect was arrested on September 27 at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan.
According to a statement signed on Sunday by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives recovered 16 parcels of cocaine concealed in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes. Another 195 wraps of the drug were hidden inside the railings of four travelling bags.
The agency said the suspect told investigators that he paid ₦16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment hidden in the bags was intended for delivery to a partner in Italy.
He reportedly said he raised the money from compensation he received after sustaining an injury while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.
Drug seizures at Lagos and Onne ports
At the Apapa Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders, intercepted 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg.
The consignment, valued at ₦372 million, was concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons in a container shipped from Bangkok, Thailand.
At the Onne Port in Rivers State, two containers placed on the NDLEA watchlist were subjected to a joint examination.
Officers recovered 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg from a travelling bag and three vehicles. A second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.
The agency said the container carrying the codeine syrup had been shipped from India to Saudi Arabia, where its origin history was deleted before it was sent onward.
The combined street value of the Loud and codeine consignments seized at Onne was estimated at ₦833.2 million.
At the Tincan Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA officers on September 29 intercepted a container shipped from Montreal, Canada, containing 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg.
The drugs, valued at more than ₦3.8 billion, were concealed inside a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, alongside 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags.
Other seizures and arrests
Beyond the ports, NDLEA operatives carried out raids and seizures in several states.
In Osun State, officers destroyed 20,234kg of skunk cultivated on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area.
In Lagos, operatives recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol from an unoccupied compound in Ago Palace. A 23-year-old suspect, Taiwo, was subsequently arrested during a follow-up operation at Ladipo Spare Parts Market.
The agency said Taiwo was linked to the recovery of 61 grammes of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24 grammes of methamphetamine. The drugs had allegedly been concealed in a bottle of energy drink and sent as a waybill package through a commercial bus.
In Kogi State, NDLEA officers intercepted a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus along the Okene-Lokoja highway and recovered two sachets containing 1kg of methamphetamine.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, a 29-year-old suspect, in Utako, Abuja.
In Plateau State, a 41-year-old suspect was arrested in the West of Mines area of Jos North following the seizure of 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg.
Arrests in Edo and Plateau
In Edo State, NDLEA officers raided the residence of a 35-year-old suspect in Ovia North-East Local Government Area and recovered 32.2kg of cannabis sativa.
On the same day, a 23-year-old suspect was arrested at Auchi Bypass in Benin City with 59 grammes of Loud, 12 grammes of Colorado, 19 grammes of tramadol, 16 grammes of methamphetamine, four grammes of Swinol and four grammes of Molly.
Meanwhile, the agency said it had arrested a 47-year-old man, Idris, six years after he allegedly jumped bail in a drug trafficking case before the Federal High Court in Jos.
The NDLEA said its commands across the country also continued their War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation programmes in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the intelligence-driven crackdown on drug trafficking networks.
Marwa also called for the continuation of the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with prevention and sensitisation efforts.
