The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted illicit drugs valued at more than N5 billion in a series of intelligence-led operations across the country, including the arrest of an Italy-bound businessman with 4.8 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in shoe soles and travelling-bag rails.
The operations, conducted at airports, seaports, highways, residential hideouts and cannabis cultivation sites, also led to the seizure of 1,297.5kg of Canadian Loud at the Tincan Island Port, 16,440kg of codeine-based cough syrup at Onne Port and the destruction of 20,234kg of cannabis in Osun State.
The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrests and seizures in a statement on Sunday, saying the operations represented a major disruption of drug trafficking networks operating through Nigeria’s international and domestic transportation corridors.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, operatives on September 27 arrested 38-year-old Philip Tunde at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 shortly before he boarded a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
According to Babafemi, a search of Tunde’s luggage and footwear uncovered 16 parcels of cocaine concealed inside the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes. Another 195 wraps of cocaine were discovered hidden in the rails of four travelling bags, bringing the total weight of the consignment to 4.8kg.
The suspect allegedly told investigators that he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment hidden in the bags was intended for delivery to a business partner in Italy.
At the Apapa Port, Lagos, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders, subjected two containers shipped from Bangkok, Thailand, to a 100 per cent examination.
The exercise yielded 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million. The drugs were concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons.
At Onne Port, Rivers State, the agency intercepted two watch-listed containers. One contained 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg, concealed in a travelling bag and three vehicles—a Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra.
The second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg. The container originated from India and was subsequently shipped to Saudi Arabia before being transported to Nigeria, in what the NDLEA described as an apparent attempt to obscure its original source.
The combined value of the Loud and codeine consignments seized at Onne was estimated at N833.2 million.
The largest single seizure occurred at Tincan Island Port, Lagos, where operatives on September 29 intercepted 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg and valued at more than N3.8 billion.
The consignment, shipped from Montreal, Canada, was concealed inside a Toyota Sienna and Hyundai Elantra, while 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags were also found in the container.
Beyond the seaports, NDLEA operations targeted illicit cannabis cultivation and inland distribution networks.
In Osun State, operatives on September 30 destroyed 20,234kg of skunk cultivated on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area.
In Plateau State, 41-year-old Agbo Dennis was arrested on September 29 in the West of Mines area of Jos North after 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg were recovered from him.
In Lagos, a raid on an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, on September 28 led to the recovery of 209,000 tablets of tramadol. Operatives also intercepted 61 grammes of Colorado and 24 grammes of methamphetamine concealed inside a bottle of energy drink being transported as a waybill package on a commercial bus.
A follow-up operation at Ladipo Spare Parts Market on September 30 resulted in the arrest of 23-year-old Ekundayo Taiwo.
On the Okene-Lokoja highway, NDLEA officers intercepted a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus and recovered two sachets containing 1kg of methamphetamine concealed in a waybill. Further investigation led to the arrest of the alleged owner, 29-year-old Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, in Utako, Abuja.
In Edo State, operatives raided the residence of 35-year-old Saturday Omimi at Uyere community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, recovering 32.2kg of cannabis sativa.
Another suspect, 23-year-old Osazuwa Iyabor Michael, was arrested at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with 59 grammes of Loud, 12 grammes of Colorado, 19 grammes of tramadol, 16 grammes of methamphetamine, four grammes of Swinol and four grammes of Molly.
The agency also arrested 47-year-old Idris Mohammed Kurra, who had allegedly been on the run for six years after jumping bail in a drug trafficking case before the Federal High Court, Jos.
Kurra was standing trial over the alleged possession and trafficking of 198kg of skunk when he reportedly absconded after being granted bail in December 2020.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities across the country.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended personnel of the agency’s MMIA, Apapa, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau and Osun Commands for what he described as professional and intelligence-driven operations.
Marwa directed officers and men nationwide to sustain the pressure on drug trafficking networks while maintaining a balanced approach to drug supply reduction, enforcement and drug abuse prevention.
