Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Apapa, Tincan Island, and Onne seaports have intercepted container shipments of Loud a potent strain of cannabis and codeine-based syrup valued at over N5 billion.
These seizures followed months of intelligence gathering and meticulous tracking of the shipments from their ports of origin.
In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed that officers at the Apapa Port in Lagos, acting on intelligence, conducted a thorough examination of two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, alongside officials from the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders.
On Saturday, September 3, a search of one container uncovered 161 parcels of Thai Loud, weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million, concealed within two refrigerators and two cartons.
At Onne Port in Rivers State, two containers flagged by the NDLEA were jointly examined with Customs and other security agencies. This operation led to the discovery of 40 packs of Loud, weighing 22kg, hidden in a travel bag and inside three of five vehicles—a Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Elantra—shipped within one of the containers. The second container at Onne held 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, weighing 16,440kg. According to Babafemi, the container had originated from India and was rerouted through Saudi Arabia, where its origin was intentionally obscured to avoid detection. The seized codeine and Loud at Onne Port have a combined street value of N833.2 million.
At Tincan Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Customs and other stakeholders, examined a watch-listed container from Montreal, Canada, on Tuesday, September 29. The operation resulted in the seizure of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud, weighing 1,297.5kg and valued at over N3.8 billion. The cannabis was concealed inside a Toyota Sienna, a Hyundai Elantra, 24 blue drums, and six jumbo bags within the container.
In Edo State, NDLEA officers raided the residence of a 35-year-old suspect, Saturday Omimi, in the Uyere community of Ovia North-East LGA on Friday, October 2, recovering 32.2kg of cannabis sativa. On the same day, another suspect, 23-year-old Osazuwa Iyabor Michael, was arrested at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with 59 grams of Loud, 12 grams of Colorado, 19 grams of Tramadol, 16 grams of methamphetamine, 4 grams of Swinol, and 4 grams of Molly.
Babafemi also reported the arrest of 47-year-old fugitive Idris Mohammed Kurra on Tuesday, September 29—six years after he jumped bail while on trial at the Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, for alleged possession and trafficking of 198kg of skunk. Kurra had been granted bail in December 2020 but subsequently absconded until his recent arrest.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands and formations across the country continued War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities during the past week.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), praised the agency’s officers for their professionalism and intelligence-led operations, urging them and their colleagues nationwide to sustain efforts against drug trafficking networks and maintain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
