In a significant breakthrough, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a major drug cartel, seizing multi-billion-naira worth of cocaine in a series of nationwide raids. The operations, which were intelligence-led, uncovered cocaine concealed in various items, including heavy-duty automobile pivot shafts and traditional Ghanaian Kente fabric.
Key Seizures and Arrests:
- On August 5th, 2024, NDLEA operatives intercepted 2.32 kilograms of cocaine hidden in Kente materials bound for the United Kingdom at a courier firm in Lagos. Additionally, 10.494 kilograms of cocaine concealed in heavy-duty pivot shafts heading to the United States were also recovered, bringing the total to 12.814 kilograms of cocaine seized.
- On August 9th, 2024, five more consignments were intercepted, including 517 grams of cocaine concealed in clothing materials, various quantities of controlled substances such as pentazocine and promethazine injections, and 297 pills of tramadol 225mg destined for Canada.
- A separate operation led to the arrest of Obiora Joseph Agudosi, a member of a cocaine trafficking network, who was caught with 9.00 kilograms of cocaine in Lagos while attempting to move it to Onitsha, Anambra State.
- In another raid, two members of a cocaine syndicate based in Nnewi and Oba town, Anambra State, were arrested following the seizure of their consignments in Benin, Edo State.
- At the Tincan Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 532 parcels of “Loud,” a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 265.25 kilograms, concealed in a Toyota Sienna bus arriving from Montreal, Canada. Another 75 parcels of the same substance weighing 37.5 kilograms were seized from a container from Canada.
Nationwide Impact:
- In Adamawa State, 425 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 291.200 kilograms were seized from a suspect en route from Edo State to Yola, Adamawa State.
- In Kano, two suspects were arrested with 29.5 kilograms of cannabis, while in Lagos, 1,169 kilograms of cannabis were recovered from a bus along Orchid Road, Ajah.
- A major cannabis farm in Kogi State was destroyed, with 1,230 kilograms of cannabis eradicated and the farm owner arrested.
Ongoing Efforts:
The NDLEA continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitization activities across the country, including lectures in schools, worship centers, and communities. The agency’s Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved in these successful operations and urged them to maintain their efforts in reducing both the supply and demand for drugs in Nigeria.
