The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cocaine, Canadian Loud and opioids with a combined estimated street value of over N10 billion in a series of intelligence-led operations across Lagos and other parts of the country.
The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
He said operatives arrested a 55-year-old businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, for attempting to export 3.30 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the walls of cartons containing food items destined for the United Kingdom.
According to the agency, the suspect was arrested on Thursday, July 23, following the interception of the cocaine consignment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, a day earlier.
Babafemi said three cargo agents—Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim—who handled the shipment were initially arrested, leading to the arrest of Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the consignment to them.
He added that investigations identified Onuigbo as the kingpin of the syndicate, leading to his arrest while allegedly attempting to ship another cocaine consignment to the UK.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, at her Surulere residence on July 21 after intercepting her 2.80kg consignment of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, which arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight.
The agency also recovered 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg valued at over N2.2 billion from a shipment that arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight. The seizure followed a joint cargo examination at the Lagos airport on July 24 based on intelligence.
The operation came shortly after NDLEA intercepted a consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap and destined for the United Kingdom at a Lagos courier company.
At the Apapa Seaport, operatives uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5kg, with an estimated street value of over N7.1 billion, hidden inside three imported vehicles packed in a container.
Outside Lagos, the agency arrested Mustapha Sani, 30, in Baure, Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State, with 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, comprising 200 rounds of 7.62mm and 123 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition.
