The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully intercepted a shipment of illicit drugs intended for the United Kingdom at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos. The operation, carried out on Tuesday, January 21, resulted in the arrest of two individuals linked to the shipment.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, disclosed the details in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja. He reported that the consignment weighed 3.50 kilograms and contained six parcels of “Loud,” a synthetic strain of cannabis, which were concealed within a duvet and packaged for export from the airport’s cargo shed.
According to Mr. Babafemi, one of the suspects, Austin Balogun, admitted that he was paid ₦700,000 to facilitate the shipment. He further revealed that he used part of the payment to cover export handling charges and the remainder to secure accommodation.
In a related operation, NDLEA officers raided a hideout in the Igbo Olumo area of Ikorodu, Lagos, arresting two suspects. The raid resulted in the recovery of seven liters of “skuchies,” a psychoactive substance made from black currant, cannabis, and opioids. Other items seized included three locally made double-barrel rifles, one locally made double-barrel pistol, one English-made pistol, one locally made single-barrel rifle, three cartridges, one empty 9mm cartridge, and an iron-headed axe.
In another raid at the notorious Akala area of Mushin, Lagos, on Sunday, January 19, NDLEA operatives seized 47 kilograms of skunk (a potent cannabis strain) and 25.46 kilograms of nitrous oxide, popularly known as “laughing gas.”
The NDLEA also conducted successful operations in other states. In Ekiti State, a 26-year-old suspect, Adepoju Taiwo, was arrested on Thursday, January 23, along Iworoko Road, Ado-Ekiti, with 1.95 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain. In Kwara State, on Monday, January 20, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect in Bode Saadu, Moro Local Government Area, recovering 50,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg, weighing 36.56 kilograms.
In Kano State, a cannabis plantation was discovered and destroyed at Gefen Kasa, Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area. Three suspects, including a Nigerien national, Abubakar Lami (45), and two accomplices, were arrested at Gadar Tamburawa with 13.1 kilograms of skunk and 125 liters of “suck and die,” a new psychoactive substance.
Mr. Babafemi reiterated the NDLEA’s commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks across the country, calling for sustained collaboration with stakeholders to curb the menace of drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.
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