In a series of major drug busts, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have successfully intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs worth billions of naira across different locations in Nigeria.
This includes the arrest of a 41-year-old Canadian woman at Lagos airport, the seizure of drugs from a warehouse in Ikorodu, and more recoveries in Taraba state.
The Canadian suspect, identified as Adrienne Munju, was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, 3rd October 2024.
She was caught smuggling 74 parcels of “Canadian Loud,” a potent synthetic cannabis strain, concealed in two of her three bags.
The total weight of the illicit substance was 35.20 kilograms. Munju, who was arriving in Nigeria for the first time, admitted to trafficking the drugs after being recruited through an online platform for a fee of 10,000 Canadian dollars.
She claimed the money was intended to finance her ongoing master’s degree program in Canada.
In a similar operation, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports in Onne, Rivers State, intercepted a shipment containing over 13 million pills of opioids, including brands such as Tramadol, Tramaking, and Royal Tapentadol.
Additionally, 338,253 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup were seized. The street value of these drugs, smuggled in three containers from India, is estimated at over N9 billion.
The bust was the result of a 100% joint examination of the containers by the NDLEA, the Nigerian Customs Service, and other port stakeholders.
In Lagos, another major seizure took place at the Tincan Seaport on Thursday, 3rd October.
A consignment of 100 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 50kg was discovered hidden in five jumbo bags within a container that also contained imported vehicles from Canada.
The container had already been cleared from the ESS Libra Bonded Terminal in Ikorodu. However, NDLEA operatives traced the shipment to a warehouse in Ikorodu, where the drugs were found concealed in a Toyota Sienna bus.
A suspect, Abubakar Shuaibu Ibrahim, has been arrested in connection with the seizure.
Further crackdowns occurred in Taraba state, where NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial bus on its way from Onitsha to Jalingo.
Hidden compartments within the vehicle were found to contain large quantities of opioids, including tramadol, rohypnol, and codeine-based syrups.
Two suspects, Pako Thomas and Emmanuel Anyigor, were arrested. Another suspect, Chibuzor Okafor, was detained in Wukari after he was found in possession of 80 blocks of cannabis weighing 38kg.
In Lagos, NDLEA agents also arrested Bolanle Ajenifuja in the Afo-Media area of Ojo on Friday, 4th October, recovering 700 liters of a dangerous local drug cocktail known as “skuchies.” Additionally, three suspects—Ezekiel Akpele, Elijah Michael, and Goddard John—were apprehended during raids on cannabis farms spanning three hectares of land at the boundary between Edo and Ondo states.
A total of 9,966.332kg of cannabis was destroyed, with 48kg of processed cannabis seized.
As part of its ongoing campaign against drug abuse, the NDLEA also conducted sensitization activities in various schools and communities across the country, educating students and teachers on the dangers of drug abuse.
These programs were held in locations including Katsina, Ebonyi, Osun, and Akwa Ibom.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the officers involved in these successful operations.
He emphasized the importance of the agency’s dual approach of reducing both the supply and demand of illicit drugs to safeguard communities across Nigeria.
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