The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted consignments of cocaine and pharmaceutical opioids concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads and hair treatment cream containers, destined for the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Cyprus. The interceptions were made by NDLEA operatives at three different courier firms in Lagos.
At one of the logistics companies, NDLEA officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) discovered 30 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.1 kilograms hidden in hair cream containers during an examination of cargoes bound for Ireland on Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Similarly, on Friday, September 6, another consignment containing 24 parcels of cocaine, weighing 862 grams, also concealed in hair cream containers and intended for delivery to the UK, was seized at the same company.
In a related operation, 525 pills of tramadol (225mg) and ecstasy (MDMA) concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads heading to Cyprus were intercepted by NDLEA operatives at another courier firm on Tuesday, September 3. Additionally, on Wednesday, September 4, a shipment of 200 ampoules of promethazine injection and pentazocine injection, hidden in food items and herbs and destined for London, UK, was also seized by the operatives. On Friday, September 6, a consignment of tramadol (225mg) buried in granulated melon from Cameroon, en route to South Africa, was intercepted as well.
In another major operation, the NDLEA intercepted 550,000 pills of tramadol at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Monday, September 2, during a joint examination of a cargo that arrived from Delhi, India, alongside the Nigerian Customs Service. A suspect has been arrested in connection with this seizure.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives, supported by Nigerian Army personnel, stormed three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve on September 3 and 4, where over 100,000 kilograms of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farmland were destroyed. The affected settlements included Aba Saalaja (23 hectares), Aba Paanu (12 hectares), and Aba Arogunmatidi (16 hectares).
Across other states, the NDLEA made significant drug seizures and arrests:
Kaduna State: Two suspects were arrested with 305 kg of cannabis concealed in a false compartment of a J5 boxer bus on the Toro-Jos road, while another was caught with 18 kg of the same substance in Makarfi town.
Jigawa state: A suspect was caught with 32.6 kg of cannabis on September 5 at Koran Shehu.
Kogi state: Operatives intercepted 77,300 pills of tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5, along with 1,230 bottles of codeine, on the Aloma-Ejule road, Ofu LGA, and another suspect was arrested with 42.4 kg of cannabis on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway.
Borno State: A suspect was arrested in the Ramat area of Maiduguri with 13,100 pills of tramadol.
Kano State: Another was caught with 25.8 kg of cannabis and 3,000 pills of diazepam along the Kano-Daura road.
Taraba State: 87,790 pills of tramadol were recovered from a suspect in Zing.
Osun State: A raid on the home of a drug kingpin, Mayowa Abayomi Awe (aka Bishop), led to the seizure of crack cocaine, methamphetamine, cannabis, and a locally made pistol.
The NDLEA continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities across the country, targeting schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities. Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, commended the agency’s officers and encouraged them to intensify their efforts in reducing drug supply and demand.
