NDLEA Seizes N12.3bn Cannabis, Arrests China-Bound Cocaine Suspect

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded major breakthroughs in its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, intercepting a businesswoman attempting to smuggle cocaine to China and confiscating a shipment of imported cannabis valued at more than N12.3 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.

The agency said the 38-year-old suspect, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing, China.

According to a statement issued by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, intelligence-led surveillance led operatives to discover four parcels of cocaine weighing 7.5 kilogrammes concealed in a specially constructed compartment beneath the suspect’s luggage.

During interrogation, the suspect reportedly told investigators that she frequently travelled to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria.

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives, working jointly with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted a 40-foot container loaded with 195 sacks of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, during a joint examination at the Apapa Port Complex.

The agency said the seized consignment weighed 4,959 kilogrammes with an estimated street value of N12.397 billion.

Babafemi disclosed that the shipment had been under surveillance for more than four weeks after leaving Toronto, Canada, before passing through Montreal and Morocco en route to Nigeria.

The anti-narcotics agency also announced the dismantling of a drug trafficking syndicate accused of secretly planting illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting interstate travellers.

The operation followed the interception of a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi, Anambra State, at Abaji in the Federal Capital Territory, where officers recovered a waybill package containing 467.7 grammes of methamphetamine concealed inside a sack of clothing.

Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the alleged recipient, Mrs Gloria Peter, who denied ownership of the package. Further intelligence operations resulted in the arrest of bus loaders in Nnewi, the vehicle’s driver, Abdurrazak Isah, and the alleged owner of the illicit consignment, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye.

In another operation in Lagos, operatives of the NDLEA Special Operations Unit arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at Iddo Motor Park while allegedly attempting to transport 209.5 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud to Enugu State.

The agency also intercepted a truck conveying illicit drugs from Togo through the Benin Republic, leading to the arrest of two Beninese nationals, Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19, alongside a Nigerian suspect, Jackson ThankGod.

A search of the vehicle uncovered 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg concealed inside a specially fabricated compartment.

Along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, NDLEA officers arrested Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo after recovering 118 kilogrammes of skunk hidden among legitimate goods in a truck travelling from Lagos to Onitsha, Anambra State.

Similarly, two women, Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, were apprehended at Amukoko, Lagos, with 28.8 kilogrammes of skunk. Investigators alleged that Rashidat’s residence served as a storage point for the illicit drugs before distribution to customers.

Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through awareness programmes in schools and communities across Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi and Enugu states to discourage substance abuse among young people.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers of the MMIA, Special Operations Unit, Apapa, FCT, Anambra and Lagos Commands for the successful operations and urged them to sustain the fight against drug trafficking while intensifying public enlightenment on the dangers of drug abuse.