The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted and seized 8,852 kilograms of Canadian loud, an imported synthetic strain of cannabis, at Eleko road in Lekki area of Lagos.
Disclosing this in a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, director, media and advocacy, NDLEA, said the seizure was made after operatives of the agency engaged armed persons escorting the illegal substances in a gun duel for 30 minutes.
According to Babafemi, on Thursday, the agency acted on intelligence and laid an ambush for the traffickers transporting the consignment loaded in two long trucks.
He said when the suspects were flagged down, rather than stop, they escaped and abandoned the drugs, adding that they were later overpowered by the operatives.
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“While one of the trucks painted red has 149 jumbo bags weighing 6,548kg, the second one with blue colour has 53 big bags with a weight of 2,304kg, bringing the total number of bags to 202 and gross weight of both to 8,852 kilograms. Meanwhile, operatives are already on the trail of the drug lord who shipped the illicit consignment into the country,” he said.
The statement further disclosed that on the same day, NDLEA operatives also intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle driven by one Mukaila Idowu, conveying 88.3kg skunk at Otedola bridge, while another suspect, Joseph Friday, was arrested on Saturday at lyana Ira in Lagos, with 58.7kg cannabis sativa concealed inside his Toyota Camry car marked FST 587FH.
“Meanwhile, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, attached to courier firms have intercepted blocks of compressed brown methamphetamine packaged as soap bars weighing 1.54 kilograms going to Australia.
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“The seizure at a courier house in Lagos on Tuesday 2nd May was a follow-up operation to an earlier interception of 3.389kg of the same substance on 23rd February 2023. A suspected drug courier, Paul Adetigbe, who delivered the previous parcel was eventually arrested with the latest consignment.”
The agency said it also arrested some suspects and made seizures of illegal substances in Ogun, Adamawa, Edo, Anambra and Kogi states between May 3 and May 5.
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