The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted shipments of methamphetamine and “Loud,” a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, worth billions of naira at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos.
The drugs, concealed in automobile spare parts imported from Canada, were intended for distribution during the Christmas and New Year festivities.
NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday, disclosed that this marked the agency’s first recovery of two methamphetamine consignments weighing a combined 83.301 kilograms.
Babafemi in the statement stated that the shipments, destined for warehouses in the Ladipo automobile parts market in Mushin, Lagos, were seized after months of intelligence-driven tracking across three continents.
“For the first time in the history of NDLEA’s anti-narcotic operations, two consignments of methamphetamine weighing 83.301 kilograms were recovered from separate containers bearing vehicles and spare parts coming from Canada,” Babafemi stated.
He revealed that the drugs, valued at ₦124,951,000, were discovered alongside 867.5kg of Loud, worth ₦2,168,750,000, packed in 44 jumbo bags and six plastic coolers.
According to the statement, three businessmen have been apprehended in connection with the shipments.
The NDLEA’s Spokesman gave the names of the suspects as Isaac Onwumere, Nwanolue Emeka, and Friday Ogbe.
Onwumere was apprehended after 5.001kg of methamphetamine was found concealed in a Toyota Camry car examined at the Sifax bonded terminal on December 12.
The second container, examined on December 13, contained 1,735 parcels of Loud and 78.3kg of methamphetamine.
“At least two businessmen, Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe, have been arrested in connection with the seizure,” Babafemi confirmed.
He said the seizures culminated in meticulous intelligence operations, narrating how the shipments were tracked from their origins in Canada.
“The first consignment, containing 5.001kg of methamphetamine, was flagged on October 4, 2024, in Toronto, Canada. It was monitored through multiple transit points, including Montreal and Antwerp, before arriving in Lagos on December 1.
“The second shipment, containing 867.5kg of Loud and 78.3kg of methamphetamine, was tracked from October 8. The cargo transited through Europe and arrived in Lagos on December 6, where it was moved to a bonded terminal on December 10,” the statement disclosed.
In a related operation at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Rivers State, NDLEA operatives intercepted 636,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth ₦4.5 billion.
The bottles were recovered from shipments originating in India during a joint examination with Customs and other security agencies.
“No fewer than 636,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup, worth ₦4,456,200,000 in street value, were intercepted on Monday 9th, Wednesday 11th, and Friday 13th December 2024,” Babafemi revealed.
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