NDLEA seizes drugs worth over ₦5bn at Lagos, Onne ports
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted illicit drug consignments valued at more than ₦5 billion at ports in Lagos and Rivers states, as operatives arrested a businessman allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.80kg of cocaine to Italy.
The 38-year-old suspect was arrested on September 27 at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said on Sunday that officers recovered 16 parcels of cocaine hidden in the soles of eight pairs of shoes, while another 195 wraps were concealed in four travelling bags.
The agency said the suspect claimed he paid ₦16 million for part of the cocaine, using compensation received after an injury at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy.
At Apapa Port, operatives working with the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted 124kg of Thai Loud valued at ₦372 million. The drugs were concealed in refrigerators and cartons inside a container shipped from Bangkok, Thailand.
At Onne Port in Rivers State, officers examining two containers on the agency’s watchlist recovered 22kg of Loud and 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg. NDLEA put the combined street value at ₦833.2 million.
At Tincan Island Port, Lagos, another container shipped from Montreal, Canada, yielded 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg and valued at more than ₦3.8 billion.
The drugs were concealed in vehicles, drums and jumbo bags.
Elsewhere, NDLEA said officers destroyed more than 20 tonnes of cannabis cultivated on over eight hectares of farmland in Osun State and recovered 209,000 tramadol tablets in Lagos.
Further arrests and seizures were recorded in Kogi, Plateau and Edo states, involving methamphetamine, cannabis and other prohibited substances.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig Gen Mohamed Marwa (rtd), commended officers involved in the operations and urged commands nationwide to sustain intelligence-led efforts against drug trafficking while strengthening prevention and public sensitisation.