NDLEA seizes 66 parcels of cannabis disguised as green tea at Lagos Airport
....Arrests multiple suspects nationwide
In an anti-narcotics operation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a major consignment of illicit drugs disguised as green tea at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, exposing a transnational trafficking ring.
The bust, announced Sunday, follows over three weeks of intelligence-led surveillance by NDLEA operatives who watch-listed the cargo before executing a coordinated inspection at the import shed of the Lagos International Airport.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi on Sunday, “66 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, were concealed inside green tea wraps shipped from Thailand through the United Arab Emirates aboard an Emirates Airlines flight.”
Weighing a total of 62.20kg, the illicit cargo was seized on Thursday after sustained monitoring. "This seizure was based on credible intelligence received ahead of the consignment’s arrival at the cargo wing of the airport on May 11," Babafemi revealed.
The Lagos bust was just the tip of a week-long crackdown by the agency. On June 2, NDLEA operatives intercepted a staggering 1,665kg of skunk a cannabis variant along the Lekki-Ajah expressway.
Two suspects, identified as Gidado Abdulrasaq Ayinde and Obanla Oluwafemi, were arrested on the spot.
In Kaduna State, the agency arrested 29-year-old Goodluck Nnaemeka on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway with 612 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 2,970 pills of flunitrazepam, a potent sedative often misused as a recreational drug.
Later that same day, NDLEA operatives apprehended a 52-year-old wanted drug trafficker, Kabiru Musa (a.k.a. KB), in the Kurmin Mashi area. “A total of 25.7kg of skunk had earlier been recovered from his base,” Babafemi confirmed.
In a separate operation on June 3 in Edo State, officers seized another consignment of drugs concealed in a vehicle. “9kg of Loud was recovered from the spare tyre compartment of an Audi station wagon with registration AAA 975 XU,” Babafemi reported.
That same day in Benin City’s Ikpoba Hill area, two young women, Favour Joy and Joy Igwe were arrested with a cache of narcotics: 106.57kg of skunk, 1kg of Loud, 800 grams of Colorado, and 302 grams of methamphetamine.
NDLEA’s recent operations form part of the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, which combines supply interdiction with grassroots advocacy and community sensitization.
The agency’s Chairman and CEO, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended the officers involved, stating: “I must praise the men and women of Lagos International Airport, Kaduna, and Edo Commands for their professionalism and resilience. Their work this week reflects a fair balance between our drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction strategies.”
Brig-Gen. Marwa added with a stern commitment: “Our mission is clear and unrelenting. We will pursue every lead and shut every door against those who traffic drugs, no matter how long it takes.”