The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) confirmed on Sunday that large quantities of codeine-based syrup and a synthetic strain of cannabis known as Loud, with a street value exceeding N2.1 billion, have been intercepted.
The Agency said in a press release signed by its Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, that these illicit substances were seized at the ports of Lagos and Port Harcourt, as well as the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja in various operations.
NDLEA revealed that at the Lagos airport, a significant amount of Loud, packed in eight suitcases and weighing 164.50kg, was discovered. The estimated value of this seizure is N960 million. The suspect, Ughenu Nnaife Francis, attempted to smuggle the drugs into Nigeria from Canada but was apprehended by NDLEA officers during a joint search operation.
Meanwhile, at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, a container imported from India was found to contain 1,750 cartons of codeine, weighing 26,250kg and valued at N1.225 billion.
In Abuja, a 25-year-old lady, Blessing Thomas, was arrested with 1.0kg of methamphetamine while travelling from Lagos to Yola, and in Nasarawa state, a 70-year-old man identified as Muhammadu Ibrahim was caught with 57.2kg of cannabis.
In Ekiti state, Suleiman Kazeem and Sunday Gbenga were arrested for processing and packing 426kg of cannabis sativa, while in Katsina state, Suleman Audu, a Nigerien national, was apprehended with 76 blocks of cannabis weighing 42kg.
NDLEA has continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities nationwide, which includes lectures for students and teachers in various schools and communities.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the efforts of officers and urged them to remain vigilant and collaborate with other agencies and stakeholders to combat drug trafficking and abuse effectively.
