The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted codeine-based syrup from India valued at over four billion naira at the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers State.
Similarly, operatives seized shipments of Methamphetamine and Loud, a strong synthetic strain of cannabis worth over three billion naira from Canada, at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
This is according to a statement made available by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi on Sunday.
Babafemi explained that the Port Harcourt Port shipments was laden with 636,600 bottles of the banned syrup worth N4,456,200,000.
They were intercepted on Monday 9th, Wednesday 11th and Friday 13th December 2024 during joint examination of four containers by NDLEA officers, men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at the port following processed credible intelligence on the shipments.
Speaking on the Lagos seizure, Babafemi said it was achieved after months of intelligence-driven tracking of the cargoes across three continents.
He explained that the drugs were meant for distribution during the Christmas and New Year festive season, concealed in imported automobile spare parts.
The statement read in part: “For the first time in the history of NDLEA’s anti-narcotic operations, two consignments of methamphetamine weighing 83.301 kilograms were on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th December 2024, recovered from separate containers bearing vehicles and spare parts coming from Canada and heading to warehouses in the Ladipo automobile parts market in Mushin area of Lagos.
“While one of the containers going to Ladipo market through the Sifax bonded terminal was examined on Thursday 12th December, not less than 5.001kg methamphetamine hidden in a bag wrapped in bed sheet that came in a Toyota Camry car, was recovered, even as a businessman, Isaac Onwumere linked with the consignment was promptly arrested.
“The other container bearing automobile spare parts checked on Friday 13th December was found to contain 1, 735 parcels of Loud packed in 44 jumbo bags with a total weight of 867.5kg and six plastic coolers containing 87 packs of methamphetamine weighing 78.3kg”.
Two businessmen: Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe have been arrested in connection with the Lagos seizure.
The two meth consignments have a combined weight of 83.301kg worth 124,951,000, while the 867.5kg Loud is worth N2,168,750,000.00) in street value.
The anti-narcotic agency spokesperson added that the seizures were made during a joint examination of the shipments with Customs and other port stakeholders.
He continued: “This followed months of intelligence processing and tracking of the consignments from their ports of loading in Canada to the landing port in Lagos by combined Special Operations Units in NDLEA and the Tincan Port Strategic Command of the Agency.
“The first container with 5.001kg meth came under the radar of NDLEA’s intelligence network on 4th October 2024 when the preparation for the shipment began in Toronto, Canada, monitored through 8th October when the shipment was received at the rail ramp, loaded on the rail and departed to Montreal, Canada where it arrived and was unloaded the following day 9th October.
“The consignment was further monitored till it was loaded on a vessel on 19th October through when the vessel arrived and discharged at Antwerp in Belgium on 30th October after which the consignment was trans-shipped and loaded on 14th November before arriving Lagos port on 1st December and released to a bonded terminal two days after.
“The second shipment containing 867.5kg Loud and 78.3kg methamphetamine followed the same route. It came under NDLEA’s intelligence tracking on 8th October 2024 when the consignments were delivered to the shipper in Toronto, Canada, loaded on the rail on 14th October and arrived Montreal the following day, 15th, after which they were loaded on a vessel to Europe on 20th October.
“After arrival and trans-shipment at Antwerp in Belgium on 6th and 17th November respectively, the consignments were tracked till they arrived and discharged from the vessel at Lagos port on 6th December before being moved to the terminal on 10th December”.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of the Special Operations Units, Tin Can and Onne Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures.
Marwa stated that the operational successes should show the drug barons and cartels that the Agency has the capacity and intelligence network to track their movements and their consignments even before getting to Nigeria.
He said they will continue to lose heavily if they fail to back down on the criminal trade.
