Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a 40-foot container loaded with 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, with an estimated street value of N12.397 billion at Apapa Port in Lagos.
The seizure followed more than four weeks of intelligence-led surveillance and was made during a joint examination on Wednesday, June 23, involving officers of the NDLEA Apapa Strategic Command, the Nigeria Customs Service, other security agencies, and port stakeholders.
According to the agency, the container had been under surveillance since April 25, when it departed Toronto, Canada. The shipment, which also contained a Ford vehicle and a Nissan vehicle, was transported by truck to Montreal before being moved by rail. It later passed through Tanger Med Port in Morocco, where it was loaded onto another vessel on May 23.
The container arrived at Tin Can Port in Lagos on June 4, was discharged the following day, and was subsequently transferred to Apapa Port, where NDLEA operatives intercepted it.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers arrested a 38-year-old businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while she was attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing, China.
The suspect was found with 7.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the false bottom of her suitcase. According to the agency, she claimed to be a regular traveller to China, where she purchased goods for resale in Nigeria.
Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives intercepted her at the departure hall of Terminal 2. A search of her luggage led to the discovery of four parcels of cocaine professionally hidden in a specially constructed compartment.
In another breakthrough, the anti-narcotics agency uncovered a syndicate allegedly involved in planting illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers at motor parks.
The operation began after NDLEA operatives in Abuja, working in collaboration with their counterparts in Anambra State, intercepted a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi at Abaji in the Federal Capital Territory on June 20.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of a waybill package containing 467.7 grams of methamphetamine concealed inside a black nylon bag placed in a sack of clothes bearing the receiver’s phone number.
A follow-up operation resulted in the arrest of the intended recipient, Mrs. Gloria Peter, at Utako Motor Park. However, she denied ownership of the package and insisted she had no knowledge of its contents.
The NDLEA said investigations into the three cases are ongoing as the agency intensifies efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating through the nation’s seaports, airports and interstate transport systems.
Credit: Vanguard
