The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking, dismantling several suspected syndicates and seizing cocaine, cannabis and other illicit substances valued at more than ₦10 billion in coordinated operations across the country.
The agency also recovered 401 rounds of military-grade ammunition concealed in kegs of palm oil during separate operations in Katsina and Kaduna states.
NDLEA disclosed this in a statement on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the agency, operatives at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, intercepted 3.30 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside the walls of cartons containing food items destined for the United Kingdom.
Investigations led to the arrest of four suspects, including 55-year-old businessman and Balogun Market clothing dealer, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, who was identified as the alleged mastermind after three cargo agents and another suspect were initially apprehended.
In another operation, NDLEA officers arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, following the interception of a 2.80kg consignment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, which had arrived from the United States.
The agency also recovered 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, valued at over ₦2.2 billion, during a joint inspection of cargo imported from India through the Lagos airport. Another shipment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap and bound for the UK was intercepted at a courier facility in Lagos.
At the Apapa Seaport, operatives uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5kg and estimated at over ₦7.1 billion. The drugs were concealed in three vehicles inside a shipping container.
In Katsina State, NDLEA operatives arrested Mustapha Sani, 30, with 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition during a patrol in Safana Local Government Area. Another 30-year-old suspect, Abubakar Amadu, was apprehended along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition hidden in kegs of red palm oil.
The agency said both suspects were handed over to the relevant security authorities for further investigation.
Meanwhile, a raid on a warehouse in Ilushi community, Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State, led to the recovery of 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds. Two additional suspects were arrested with quantities of skunk during separate operations.
Beyond enforcement, Babafemi said the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) awareness campaign in schools and communities across the country, including institutions in Niger, Kano and Lagos states.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the successful operations and urged commands nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach of enforcement and preventive drug education.
