In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted methamphetamine and Loud cannabis shipments worth over ₦3.3 billion concealed in automobile spare parts from Canada. The seizures, made at Lagos’ Tincan seaport, followed months of intelligence tracking across three continents.
The operation, a first of its kind in NDLEA history, unveiled two separate methamphetamine consignments weighing 83.301 kilograms. Additionally, 1,735 parcels of Loud cannabis weighing 867.5 kilograms were discovered. The drugs, valued at ₦2.29 billion on the street, were headed for warehouses at the Ladipo automobile parts market in Mushin, Lagos.
In a statement released to Africa Health Report (AHR) on Sunday, December 15, 2024, by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, disclosed that operatives recovered methamphetamine during joint examinations conducted on December 12 and 13. The drugs were found in a container carrying a Toyota Camry. “A businessman, Isaac Onwumere, linked to the consignment, was promptly arrested,” Babafemi stated.
Further investigation led to the discovery of Loud cannabis and more meth in another shipment. Two suspects, Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe, were also arrested. NDLEA’s chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), applauded the officers’ diligence, saying, “These operational successes send a clear message to drug cartels: we have the capacity to track and intercept their movements even before they reach our ports.”
The NDLEA’s intelligence network had been tracking these shipments since October, monitoring their journey from Toronto, Canada, through Antwerp, Belgium, before arriving in Lagos.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Rivers State, seized 636,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth ₦4.46 billion shipped from India. These operations form part of NDLEA’s intensified efforts to curb drug trafficking and promote its “War Against Drug Abuse” (WADA) program across the country.
As the festive season approaches, authorities warn against the illegal drug trade, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to ensuring a drug-free society.
