NDLEA says port seizures worth more than N5bn lead to arrests
Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has intercepted consignments of cannabis and codeine-based syrup valued at more than N5 billion at the Apapa, Tin Can Island and Onne ports. The agency also reported the arrest of a 28-year-old businessman allegedly carrying cocaine to Milan from Lagos airport.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has intercepted consignments of cannabis and codeine-based cough syrup worth more than N5 billion at three Nigerian seaports and arrested a businessman allegedly attempting to carry cocaine to Italy. According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, the seizures followed months of intelligence gathering and tracking of shipments from their ports of origin. The operations took place at Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos, and at Onne port in Rivers State.
At Apapa, officers examining two containers from Bangkok recovered 161 parcels of Thai Loud, a cannabis strain, weighing 124kg. The agency said the parcels, valued at N372 million, were concealed in two refrigerators and two cartons. At Tin Can Island, a joint examination of a watch-listed container from Montreal led to the discovery of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg.
The consignment, hidden in a Toyota Sienna, a Hyundai Elantra, blue drums and jumbo bags, was estimated by the agency to have a street value of more than N3.8 billion. At Onne, officers found 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg in vehicles and a travelling bag. A second container held 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.
NDLEA put the combined value of the Onne consignments at N833.2 million and said the container’s route had been altered to avoid detection. Separately, the agency said Philip Tunde, 28, was arrested at Lagos airport before a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan. Sixteen parcels of cocaine were allegedly hidden in the soles of eight pairs of shoes, while 195 wraps were found in the railings of four travel bags.
The substances weighed 4.80kg. NDLEA said Tunde claimed he paid N16 million for the cocaine in the shoes and that the bag consignment was intended for a partner in Italy. The agency also reported the destruction of 20,234kg of cannabis in Osun and the recovery of 209,000 tramadol tablets in Lagos.
Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers and called for continued action against trafficking networks.
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