The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) agents have intercepted packs of cannabis juice flown in from South Africa for distribution before Christmas as well as supplies of Colorado cannabis concealed in vehicles imported from Montreal, Canada.
According to a statement issued yesterday by agency spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the narcotics were found at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State, and the Tincan seaport in Apapa, Lagos State.
He claims that 12 persons, including two dock employees and a wine shop owner, had been detained in relation to the two raids.
In addition to 520 kilogrammes of cannabis smuggled into the nation's capital of Abuja by concealing it in crates of soft drinks, the NDLEA also recovered 100,000 Tramadol tablets from Imo State and 152 kilogrammes of skunk from two traffickers in Kano.
According to the statement, “At the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport, the search of consolidated cargo from South Africa led to the discovery of smuggled bottled Cannabis juice with a gross weight of 16.50kg on Wednesday 21st December. Investigations by anti-narcotics officers subsequently led to the arrest of four freight agents, whose statements eventually led to the arrest of the consignee, a wine shop business owner, the following day, Thursday, 22nd December.
“Also, an attempt to export quantities of cannabis and ecstasy pills, also known as MDMA concealed in beverage drink, Bournvita, containers to Dubai, UAE, through the NAHCO export shed on Friday 23rd December was frustrated while a vulcaniser given the assignment for a fee of N4,000, Iyanda Ogunleye Yaya has been arrested.
“In the same vein, a consignment of 185 parcels of cannabis Indica, popularly called Colorado, weighing 61.3kgs have been seized during a joint examination of a container at the Tincan seaport, Lagos. The container marked MSCU5206726 from Montreal, Canada, was declared as containing three units of used vehicles, but upon a 100% examination, it was found to have two vehicles; a 2009 Toyota Corolla car and a 2009 Ford Econoline bus as well as used car engines, bicycles, shoes and other items including the drugs.
“Two dock workers: Abdulquadri Abdulazeez and Ogbuji Kenneth, are already in NDLEA custody in connection with the seizure following their initial arrest by the Port Security and the Police.”
Two suspects, Nura Zakariya’u and Alkasim Abubakar were arrested along the Zaria-Kano road in Kwanar Dangora in Kano with 161 blocks of cannabis weighing 152 kilogrammes. On his way to Onitsha, Anambra state, a total of 100,000 tramadol pills were recovered from a suspect, Amaechi Johnson, in Imo state. And on 20th December, operatives in the Ehinogbe, Owo area of Ondo state confiscated 708 kilogrammes of cannabis from a bus.