ASHENEWS reports that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has intercepted 1,274 parcels of cocaine and colorado in Lagos.
The NDLEA, in a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, the Director, Media & Advocacy said the agency also intercepted a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in containerized household items and vehicles imported from Durban, South Africa and Canada at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos.
“Following coordinated intelligence and months of tracking of the containers by three special units of NDLEA, the illicit drugs along with arms, ammunition and sundry military effects were seized during joint examination of the three containers by the Agency’s officers and their counterparts from Customs Service and other security agencies between Thursday 18th and Friday 19th January 2024. Some of the Agency’s sniffer dogs were also deployed to help identify locations and bags used in concealing the illicit items.”
The statement listed the items recovered from the containers to include: 1, 274 parcels of Cocaine and Colorado with a total weight of 884.09 kilograms; four pistols; 197 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 49 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 275 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, 14 rounds of 9mm ammunition and sundry military personnel effects as well as some chemicals in kegs.
“With the exception of 32.5kg shipment of Colorado that came in used vehicles from Canada, the rest of the items were found in two of three containers that arrived the Tincan port from Durban, South Africa onboard a vessel marked MSC RESILIENT III and discharged on new year eve, 31st December 2023.
“A suspect linked to one of the containers, UACU 5348336, bearing the 32.5kg Colorado, 41-year-old Akara Chibugo has already been tracked and arrested by NDLEA operatives,” the statement said.
It added that its operatives seized no fewer than five million six hundred and fifty three thousand (5, 653,000) pills of tramadol 250mg and exol-5 were seized from three suspects.
“While Nura Abdullahi, 38, and Tahir Muhammad Mukhtar, 42, were arrested at Bacharawa area of Kano with 5, 404,000 pills of tramadol 250mg on Sunday 14th January, Yusuf Umar, 50, was nabbed at Gadar Tamburawa area of the state the previous day Saturday 13th January with 249,000 tablets of exol-5 by NDLEA operatives.”
