Nigeria Intercepts N4.4Billion Synthetic Cannabis Shipped From Thailand At Lagos Ports

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has intercepted consignments of synthetic cannabis worth more than N4.4 billion at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos, in what it described as its first seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor.

The agency said the seizures involved two containers loaded at the Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand, suggesting the emergence of a new route allegedly being exploited by drug syndicates to smuggle synthetic cannabis into Nigeria.

NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying operatives intercepted the consignments during separate joint examinations at the two Lagos ports.

At the Apapa Port, a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries was examined on Friday, August 21, by NDLEA operatives, Customs officials and other agencies.

The examination allegedly uncovered 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons.

The cartons contained 2,181 sachets, each weighi

ng 500 grammes, according to the NDLEA.

At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another container that had been placed on the agency’s watchlist was examined on Wednesday, August 19, following monitoring by its Marine Special Operations Unit.

The agency said seven pallets wrapped in black nylon were found inside the container, with four confirmed to contain Thai Loud.

The four pallets contained 96 cartons made up of 400 parcels weighing a combined 400kg.

The remaining three pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper, which the NDLEA said had been used as cover for the drug consignment.

The agency said the combined street value of the Thai Loud recovered from the two containers was more than N4.4 billion.

The seizures, according to the NDLEA, marked the agency’s “first-ever seizure of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through the maritime corridor.”

The containers were both loaded at the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand, highlighting what the agency described as the emergence of a new trafficking route.

The seizures came amid a wider series of drug interceptions and arrests carried out by NDLEA commands across the country.

In Akwa Ibom State, operatives on Friday, August 21, intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas allegedly conveying illicit drugs to fishing settlements in Cameroon.

Three suspects were arrested aboard the boat, which was heading to Ine Isu, Ine Mbah and Ine Ikot Itie Udung fishing ports in Cameroon.

The NDLEA said 42.622kg of narcotics, including skunk and cocaine, was recovered.

One of the suspects, 27-year-old Kingsley Effiong John, allegedly concealed 20 grammes of cocaine inside a large wrap of edible cassava fufu, alongside 435 grammes of skunk.

In Ondo State, operatives destroyed 10,000kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares of cannabis farm in Ijare forest, Ifedore Local Government Area.

The agency also recovered 210kg of skunk in Ita-Ogbolu, Akure North Local Government Area.

In Kwara State, 1.325kg of methamphetamine and quantities of cannabis were recovered from a Toyota Starlet intercepted along the Ogbomosho-Ilorin Expressway.

A suspect, 22-year-old Muhammadu Usman, was arrested.

In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives arrested 65-year-old Adebayo Kaosarat with a cocktail of illicit substances, including 1.795kg of Scottish Loud, 1.66kg of tramadol, 600 grammes of codeine syrup, 125 grammes of diazepam and 50 grammes of flunitrazepam.

In Kano, 73.3kg of skunk packed in 98 blocks was recovered from 31-year-old Chibuzor Madueke during a raid on Hadeija Road.

Meanwhile, operatives in Abia State recovered 14.4kg of Loud, 2.3kg of Colorado, 386 grammes of tramadol and 134 grammes of rohypnol from the residence of 36-year-old Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno in Umuahia South Local Government Area.

The NDLEA also reported the arrest of three members of a family near the Seme border in Lagos, where 48kg of skunk was recovered.

In Abuja, 24,410 tramadol capsules were intercepted in three waybill packages hidden inside a Hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, 28-year-old Sunday Eze, in Kontagora, Niger State.

The NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the agency’s officers for the operations and urged them to sustain the current approach to drug control.

He also directed that the 101-year-old woman arrested in Ogun State for allegedly selling cannabis be granted bail and placed on counselling because of her advanced age. Her daughter was arrested over the alleged drug dealing.