NDLEA Foils Twin Massive Drug Smuggling Operations Into Nigeria
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Tincan seaport in Lagos, have intercepted multi-billion-naira worth of shipments of Methamphetamine and Loud, a strong synthetic strain of cannabis meant for distribution during the Christmas and New Year festive season.
The huge consignment of drugs concealed in automobile spare parts imported from Canada was intercepted by NDLEA after months of intelligence-driven tracking of the cargoes across three continents.
Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, made this known, yesterday, just as he disclosed that three businessmen linked to another consignment of Opiods valued at N4.4 billion was intercepted in Lagos.
He said: “For the first time in the history of NDLEA’s anti-narcotic operations, two consignments of methamphetamine weighing 83.301 kilograms were on Thursday, 12th and Friday 13th December 2024, recovered from separate containers bearing vehicles and spare parts coming from Canada and heading to warehouses in the Ladipo automobile parts market in Mushin area of Lagos.
“While one of the containers going to Ladipo market through the Sifax bonded terminal was examined on Thursday, December 12, not less than 5.001kg methamphetamine hidden in a bag wrapped in bed sheet that came in a Toyota Camry car, was recovered, even as a businessman, Isaac Onwumere, linked with the consignment was promptly arrested
The other container bearing automobile spare parts checked on Friday, December 13 was found to contain 1, 735 parcels of loud packed in 44 jumbo bags with a total weight of 867.5kg and six plastic coolers containing 87 packs of methamphetamine weighing 78.3kg.
“At least, two businessmen, Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe, have been arrested in connection with the seizure.
“The two meth consignments have a combined weight of 83.301kg worth N124,951,000.00 while the 867.5kg loud is worth N2,168,750,000.00 in street value. The seizures were made during a joint examination of the shipments with Customs and other port stakeholders.”
“At the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers State, no fewer than 636,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N4, 456,200,000.00 in street value were intercepted in shipments from India on Monday 9th, Wednesday 11th and Friday 13th December 2024.
The seizures were made during joint examination of four containers by NDLEA officers, men of Customs and other security agencies at the port following processed credible intelligence on the shipments.”
