Operatives of Nigeria’s Anti-narcotic Agency, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA have intercepted 8,852 kilograms of Canadian Loud, an imported synthetic strain of cannabis, at the Eleko beach road in the Lekki area of Lagos.
The operatives made seizures after a 30-minute gunfight with armed men who were escorting the consignment loaded in two long trucks.
The agency’s spokesperson Mr Femi BabaFemi disclosed this in a press statement in Abuja, on Sunday.
He said, the NDLEA’S operatives acting on credible intelligence, laid ambush for the traffickers along the Eleko beach road in Lekki and at about 4:51 am on Thursday 4th May, where two long trucks conveying the illicit consignments were flagged down resulting in the exchange of gunfire that lasted 30 minutes.
“While one of the trucks painted red has 149 jumbo bags weighing 6,548kg, the second one with blue colour has 53 big bags with a weight of 2,304kg, bringing the total number of bags to 202 and gross weight of both to 8,852 kilograms. Meanwhile, operatives are already on the trail of the drug lord who shipped the illicit consignment into the country.
“On the same day, NDLEA operatives also intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle driven by one Mukaila Idowu, conveying 88.3kg skunk at Otedola bridge, Ikeja area of Lagos, while another suspect, Joseph Friday was arrested on Saturday 6th May at Iyana Ira, Lagos with 58.7kg cannabis sativa concealed inside his Toyota Camry car marked FST 587FH,” BabaFemi said.
Meanwhile, in Ogun state, operatives in the early hours of Wednesday 3rd May busted a mini factory where a suspect, Bakare Taofeek was producing skucchies around Safari Onikolobo, Abeokuta.
Babafemi said exhibits recovered from him include, 4kg black currant drink (Sobo) mixed with cannabis, 255 litres of skucchies, 1,880 tablets of tramadol, 735 grams of cannabis, three deep freezers, 2 gas cylinders and two cooking pots among others.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives arrested drug trafficking suspects in Adamawa, Edo, Kogi, and Anambra states among others with various quantities of substance abuse seized.
The Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa while commending the officers and men of the affected commands for their vigilance and professionalism, urged them and their peers across the country to step up their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
