A 41-year-old Canadian national, Adrienne Munju, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, for importing a large consignment of “Canadian Loud,” a potent strain of synthetic cannabis. The arrest was made during an inward clearance of passengers arriving on a KLM airline flight from Canada on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
Upon conducting a joint examination of her luggage, NDLEA officials discovered 74 parcels of synthetic cannabis, weighing 35.20 kilograms, concealed in two of her three bags. Adrienne, who was visiting Nigeria for the first time, confessed that she had been recruited via an online platform to traffic the illicit substance in exchange for 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos. She further disclosed that financial pressures from her ongoing master’s degree program in Canada motivated her to accept the offer.
NDLEA Intercepts N9 Billion Worth of Opioids in Rivers
In another major breakthrough, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports, Onne, Rivers State, intercepted a staggering 13,298,000 pills of opioids, including Tramadol, Tramaking Quick Action Tramadol, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol. Additionally, 338,253 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup were seized. The total street value of the confiscated drugs exceeds N9.017 billion.
The drugs were recovered during a 100% joint examination of three containers originating from India, conducted in collaboration with the Nigerian Customs Service and other port stakeholders on October 2 and 3, 2024.
Seizures at Tincan Seaport and Ikorodu Warehouse
In a similar operation on October 3, 2024, NDLEA officials at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos intercepted 100 parcels of “Canadian Loud” weighing 50 kilograms. The consignment, packed in five jumbo bags with 20 parcels each, was concealed inside a container alongside four imported vehicles from Canada. Despite the container being cleared from the ESS Libra Bonded Terminal in Ikorodu, intelligence gathering enabled the NDLEA to trace it to a warehouse in Ikorodu. Upon inspection, the synthetic cannabis was found hidden inside one of the imported vehicles, a Toyota Sienna bus. A suspect, Abubakar Shuaibu Ibrahim, has been taken into custody in connection with the seizure.
Taraba State: Drugs Hidden in Commercial Bus and Cannabis Seized
On October 3, 2024, NDLEA operatives in Taraba intercepted a commercial bus with registration number JAL 198 YQ, traveling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Jalingo. A thorough search revealed large quantities of opioids, including Tramadol, Rohypnol, and codeine-based syrups, hidden within the bus’s body compartments. Two suspects, Pako Thomas and Emmanuel Anyigor, were arrested in connection with the illicit cargo.
In a separate operation on October 2, 2024, a suspect named Chibuzor Okafor was apprehended at Wukari, Taraba State, with 80 blocks of cannabis weighing 38 kilograms. The drugs were concealed within bags of garri, a staple food in Nigeria.
Lagos Arrests and Cannabis Farm Raids in Edo-Ondo Border
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect, Bolanle Ajenifuja, on October 4, 2024, in the Afo-Media area of Ojo. During the arrest, 700 liters of “skuchies,” a mixture of local chapman and a cocktail of illicit drugs, were recovered. On the same day, three other suspects, Ezekiel Akpele, Elijah Michael, and Goddard John, were apprehended when NDLEA officers raided two cannabis farms located at Bridge Camp, a boundary community between Edo and Ondo States. The raid resulted in the destruction of 9,966.332 kilograms of cannabis across three hectares of farmland, with an additional 48 kilograms of processed cannabis seized.
War Against Drug Abuse (WADA): Sensitization Efforts Continue
In addition to the recent arrests and seizures, NDLEA commands and formations across the country have continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns. Over the past week, NDLEA officers delivered enlightenment lectures to various schools and communities, including Government Science Secondary School, Musawa, Katsina; Akanu Ibiam Memorial Seminary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Community High School, Ile Ogbo, Osun; and Dominion Secondary School, Okon, Akwa Ibom.
NDLEA Chairman Commends Officers’ Efforts
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, and Taraba Commands for their outstanding operational successes. He praised their efforts in striking a balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction through continuous sensitization and enforcement activities.
