NDLEA Foils Major Drug Smuggling Operations: Seizes 1,274 Parcels of Cocaine, Colorado in Lagos

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted significant drug consignments, including 1,274 parcels of Cocaine and Colorado in Lagos and 5.6 million opioid pills in Kano. The operations, conducted by various special units, involved tracking shipments from Durban, South Africa, and Canada to the Tincan Seaport in Lagos.

Joint examinations by NDLEA officers, Customs Service, and other security agencies led to the discovery of illicit drugs, arms, ammunition, and military effects hidden in containerized household items and vehicles. The seizures also involved the deployment of sniffer dogs to identify concealed items.

Among the recovered items were 1,274 parcels of Cocaine and Colorado weighing 884.09 kilograms, pistols, various ammunition rounds, and military personnel effects. A suspect linked to one of the containers, 41-year-old Akara Chibugo, has been apprehended.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, vigilant freight agents prevented two drug trafficking attempts. One involved 1kg of cannabis concealed in tins of Milo beverage destined for Turkey. In another case, NDLEA arrested Okosun Paul Punitt, the consignee of tramadol concealed in dietary supplements, intended for Accra, Ghana.

In Kano, NDLEA seized 5,653,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 from three suspects. In separate incidents in Lagos, suspects Ali Abubakar and Murtala Sani were arrested with 110kg of cannabis, and a raid in Akerele, Surulere recovered 69kg of the same substance. Additionally, 2,800 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup were seized in Abuja.

Operations in Taraba led to the seizure of 100,510 opioid pills from a suspect, Ike Emmanuel, while in Abia, three individuals were arrested with 34,200 opioid pills and a substantial amount of cash.

NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continued with sensitization lectures in various institutions nationwide.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the efforts of officers and urged them to remain focused on the agency’s mission to combat substance abuse and drug trafficking in Nigeria. He emphasized the importance of collaboration with other law enforcement agencies and stakeholders in this endeavor.