NDLEA seizes multi-billion-naira cocaine, cannabis shipments in fabric, car shaft
…Lagos courier firm intercepted with 12.8kg of cocaine
By Adeyanju Esther
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a multi-billion-naira shipment of cocaine concealed in heavy-duty automobile pivot shafts and Ghanaian Kente fabric. These seizures were part of a nationwide intelligence-led operation conducted by NDLEA officers.
On Monday, August 5, 2024, the NDLEA intercepted 2.32 kilograms of cocaine hidden in Ghanaian Kente fabric at a courier firm in Lagos. Additionally, 10.494 kilograms of the same Class A drug, concealed in heavy-duty pivot shafts, were recovered at the same logistics company. The cocaine was detected by NDLEA sniffer dogs, bringing the total weight of cocaine seized in these two shipments to 12.814 kilograms.
This was disclosed on Sunday in a statement by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy.
Babafemi stated that on Friday, August 9, 2024, NDLEA intercepted five additional consignments at a courier firm in Lagos bound for the US, UK, and Canada.
These included 517 grams of cocaine hidden in clothing, various quantities of pentazocine injections, promethazine injections, and cocodamol pills destined for the UK, as well as 297 tramadol 225mg pills headed for Canada.
Separately, at another logistics company in Lagos, NDLEA operatives recovered 21 parcels of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain weighing 10 kilograms, which was coming from the US and intended for delivery in Abuja.
The statement explained that, in a separate intelligence-led operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Obiora Joseph Agudosi, a member of a cocaine trafficking network, on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, in Alafia Orile, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.
Agudosi was apprehended while attempting to transport 9.00 kilograms of cocaine to Onitsha, Anambra State.
On Thursday, August 8, 2024, NDLEA operatives arrested two members of a cocaine syndicate based in Nnewi and Oba, Anambra State.
Harrison Mbachu, 44, the bus driver, was apprehended at the Benin tollgate with 2.865 kilograms of cocaine. In a follow-up operation, Izuchkwu Arinze, 40, was arrested in Nnewi while attempting to collect 1.748 kilograms of cocaine and 514 grams of sodium bicarbonate. Ameachi Okoro, 39, was also detained in Oba while trying to pick up 1.117 kilograms of cocaine.
Additionally, on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, NDLEA operatives at Tincan Seaport in Lagos intercepted a significant shipment of synthetic cannabis.
They seized 532 parcels of Loud, weighing 265.25 kilograms, hidden in a black Toyota Sienna bus. This seizure was part of a container marked MSMU 6029570 coming from Montreal, Canada, and was made during a 100% joint examination with Customs Service and other stakeholders.
The following day, Thursday, August 8, 2024, NDLEA operatives recorded another substantial seizure of Loud. They intercepted 75 parcels of the same substance, totaling 37.5 kilograms, from a container marked FSCU-9274613, also arriving from Canada. These recent operations highlight the ongoing efforts by NDLEA to combat drug trafficking through various transit points.
In Adamawa state, NDLEA operatives on Thursday 8th August with the support of men of operation Farauta Sector 3, Mayo Belwa arrested 49-year-old Joseph Peter with 425 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 291.200kg in his Toyota Camry car marked Lagos KSF 381 HM. He claimed he was bringing the consignment from Edo state to deliver in Yola, Adamawa State.
In Kano, two suspects, Adekunle Sunday Adebayo, 50, and Yahaya Mamuda, 35, were arrested on Tuesday, August 6, with 29.5 kilograms of cannabis in the Gadar Tamburawa area. Meanwhile, in Lagos, NDLEA operatives recovered 1,169 kilograms of cannabis from a bus along Orchid Road, Ajah, on Sunday, August 4.
On Friday, August 9, 2024, NDLEA officers, supported by the Nigerian Army, destroyed 1,230 kilograms of cannabis found on three hectares of farmland in Ikeje Forest, Edimogo Village, Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi State. The farm’s owner, Danjuma Maji, 40, was arrested.
Additionally, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) activities with sensitization lectures and community engagements across the country, including in Oyo State, Anambra State, Kwara State, and Ado Ekiti.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, praised the officers and teams from the Special Operations Unit, Tincan, Lagos, Edo, Kano, Kogi, and Adamawa Commands, along with those from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI) for their effective arrests and seizures.
He encouraged them and their counterparts across the country to persist with their comprehensive strategy in tackling both drug supply and demand.
