Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Tincan seaport in Lagos State have seized 75.75kgs of cannabis indica, which came from Montreal, Canada, hidden in a container of four used vehicles with number MSCU 5336680.
The Director, Media & Advocacy of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
This is happening barely a month after operatives at the seaport intercepted a consignment of 24.5kgs of the same substance concealed in used vehicles imported from Canada.
Coincidentally, the consignment has also been traced to a suspect already in custody in connection with the earlier seizure, Steve Adigwe and his accomplice, Cedrick Maduweke who is still at large.
According to the statement, on February 3, one Iwuozor Edward Chinedu, a Nigerian based in Athens, Greece, was debarked from an Ethiopian airline flight at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, after officers in the tarmac team of NDLEA intercepted two bags during a secondary check exercise at the foot of the aircraft.
Two parcels containing substances that tested positive to cocaine and heroin with a gross weight of 1.30kgs and 900grams respectively, were recovered from one of his bags. Upon interrogation, Chinedu said he was given the bag to deliver in Greece for a fee of two million naira (N2,000,000).
“When the bags were searched in the presence of Chinedu and other airport stakeholders, two big pellets wrapped with foil papers and some sprinkles of pepper were recovered from each of the two sides of one of the bags.
“The two parcels contained substances that tested positive to cocaine and heroin with a gross weight of 1.30kgs and 900grams respectively. During preliminary interview, Chinedu claimed he came to Nigeria three months ago to do a surgery, which he was not comfortable doing in Athens. He further claimed he was given the bag to deliver in Greece for a fee of two million naira (N2,000,000),” the statement said.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO export shed of the airport on January 30, arrested a pregnant woman, Sylvester Gloria Onome after 800grams of skunk were discovered concealed in two small radio sets she was sending to Dubai, United Arab Emirate.
On the same day, operatives of the Agency also intercepted a consignment going to Congo Kinshasa, containing 111 bottles of body cream that were used to conceal 24.50kgs of ephedrine, a chemical precursor and active ingredient to produce methamphetamine. The cargo was later traced to a trader at Alaba trade fair complex, Ojo area of Lagos, Onyekachukwu Uduekwelu after the initial arrest of two freight agents.
Another housewife, Okpara Chizoba Victoria was arrested at her residence at 37 Obashola street, Ijesha area of Lagos on January 27, following the seizure of 300grams of skunk hidden in a bag of crayfish she was sending to Dubai, UAE through a freight agent.
In the same vein, operatives at the SAHCO export shed of the airport on January 26, intercepted a sack of new clothes going to Sierra Leone. During a thorough search of the consignment, a parcel of white crystalline substance that tested positive to methamphetamine with a gross weight of 1kg, as well as 300grams of skunk and 100grams ecstasy (MDMA) were recovered. A freight agent, Mfonabasi Victor Joseph was already arrested in connection with the seizure.
“No fewer than 255,500 pills of tramadol and diazepam were recovered from an Italy based suspect, Duru Josephat who concealed the drugs in two of the bags he was travelling with to Milan, Italy on an Ethiopian airline flight. He confessed he bought the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra state and was taking them to Italy to sell,” the statement added.
