National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted illicit drugs valued at more than ₦10 billion in a series of operations in Lagos, including a massive cannabis haul at the Apapa seaport and millions of opioid pills smuggled into the country.
Gatekeepers News reports that the seizures are part of the agency’s renewed crackdown on drug trafficking and transnational narcotics networks.
According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, operatives recovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 2,388.5 kilogrammes with an estimated street value of over ₦7.1 billion. The drugs were concealed inside three vehicles in a shipment examined jointly at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
In another operation, NDLEA officers intercepted 2.24 million tablets of 250mg Tapentadol, a highly addictive opioid, valued at more than ₦2.2 billion. The consignment, which arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight, was seized following intelligence gathered and processed by the agency.
The agency also foiled an attempt to export tramadol to the United Kingdom after discovering the prohibited drugs hidden inside containers of black soap at a Lagos courier company.
In a separate operation, a 55-year-old businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, was arrested for allegedly attempting to ship 3.3 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed within the walls of food cartons bound for the UK.
Beyond Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested suspects in Katsina and Kaduna states for allegedly transporting military-grade ammunition concealed in luggage and containers.
The agency said the coordinated operations underscore its commitment to disrupting drug trafficking and related criminal activities across the country.
