Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a major consignment of illicit drugs cunningly disguised as green tea at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while also making several arrests and seizures across multiple states, including Edo, Kaduna, and Lagos.
Mr. Femi Babafemi, the Director, Media & Advocacy, disclosed this information in a statement signed and made available to newsmen on Sunday.
According to him, the latest crackdown followed sustained surveillance on a suspicious cargo shipment based on credible intelligence. The drug consignment, consisting of 66 parcels of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighed 62.20 kilograms and was cleverly concealed within green tea packages. It arrived from Thailand via the United Arab Emirates aboard an Emirates Airlines flight. The NDLEA, having placed the shipment on a watch list, conducted a joint inspection with other stakeholders on Thursday, June 5, leading to the discovery.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives seized 1,665kg of skunk, another cannabis variant, along the Lekki-Ajah expressway on Monday, June 2, arresting Gidado Abdulrasaq Ayinde and Obanla Oluwafemi in connection with the haul.
Meanwhile, in Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway apprehended 29-year-old Goodluck Nnaemeka with 612 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 2,970 pills of flunitrazepam on Tuesday, June 3.
“On the same day, a notorious drug kingpin, Kabiru Musa a.k.a KB, was arrested at Kurmin Mashi, days after 25.7kg of skunk was recovered from his hideout.
“Also in Edo State, a joint operation led to the arrest of 45-year-old Atari Israel after 9kg of Loud was discovered hidden in the spare tyre compartment of his Audi station wagon along Auchi Road.
“That same day, two young women, Favour Joy and Joy Igwe, were apprehended at the Ikpoba Hill area of Benin City. Seized from them were 106.57kg of skunk, 1kg of Loud, 800g of Colorado, and 302g of methamphetamine.
“These operations are part of the NDLEA’s nationwide efforts under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, which also saw sensitization activities in schools and traditional institutions.
“Notably, the agency delivered anti-drug lectures at educational institutions including Sir Usman Nagogo College of Arabic and Islamic Studies in Katsina, Fountain of Knowledge International Academy in Ebonyi, and Millennium High School in Lagos, among others.
“The agency’s Zone 13 Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Amayanabo of Nembe Kingdom, Dr. Edmund Dakoru, Mingi XII, in Bayelsa State,” Babafemi stated.
Commending the efforts of officers involved in the recent breakthroughs, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), hailed the agency’s commitment to achieving a balance between drug supply suppression and demand reduction.
He lauded the Lagos, Kaduna, and Edo Commands and all field operatives across the country for their dedication to curbing the drug menace.
