The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a massive 4,959-kilogram shipment of Canadian Loud cannabis worth N12.4 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The anti-narcotics agency’s spokesman, Mr. Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
According to him, the cannabis, one of the largest seizures recorded in recent months, was recovered from a 40-foot container following weeks of intelligence-led surveillance by NDLEA operatives. The container, which concealed the illicit consignment alongside two vehicles, had been tracked from Toronto, Canada, through Morocco before arriving in Lagos.
He said the agency placed the shipment under surveillance from April 25 until officers, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, conducted a joint examination at the Apapa Port on June 23, leading to the recovery of 195 sacks containing 4,959kg of Canadian Loud, with an estimated street value of N12.397 billion.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 38-year-old businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport on June 21 while she was preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing, China.
Acting on credible intelligence, officers searched her luggage and discovered 7.5 kilograms of cocaine expertly concealed in a false bottom compartment. The suspect reportedly told investigators she frequently travelled to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria.
In the Federal Capital Territory, the agency also dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate that allegedly plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting interstate passengers.
The breakthrough followed the interception of a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi, Anambra State, at Abaji, where operatives recovered 467.7 grams of methamphetamine concealed inside a waybill package hidden among passengers’ luggage. Investigations led to the arrest of the intended recipient, bus loaders, the driver, and the alleged owner of the drugs, exposing the syndicate’s modus operandi.
In another intelligence-led operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at Iddo Motor Park in Lagos with 209.5 kilograms of Scottish Loud, another potent strain of cannabis, allegedly being transported to Enugu State.
Similarly, two nationals of the Benin Republic — Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19 — alongside a Nigerian, Jackson ThankGod, were arrested after operatives intercepted their truck on the Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos.
A search of the vehicle uncovered 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg concealed inside a specially fabricated compartment after the consignment was allegedly smuggled into Nigeria from Togo through the Benin Republic.
Along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, NDLEA officers also arrested Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo while transporting 118 kilograms of skunk concealed among legitimate goods in a truck travelling from Lagos to Onitsha.
In another Lagos raid, Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, were arrested with 28.8 kilograms of skunk at a residence in Amukoko. Investigators said Helen allegedly used the premises to store and distribute illicit drugs.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said it sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitisation programmes in schools and communities across Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi and Enugu states.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised their sustained efforts in reducing drug supply while intensifying preventive drug education, urging them to remain resolute in the fight against illicit drug trafficking.
