Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Canadian lady, Adrienne Munju for importing large consignment of ‘Canadian Loud’, a strong strain of synthetic cannabis at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
According to a statement issued by the Director, Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi on Sunday, Munju, 41, was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on KLM airline flight from Canada at the terminal 1 of the Lagos Airport on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
Mr. Babafemi revealed that during a joint examination of her three bags, the suspect, who was coming to Nigeria for the first time was found with 74 parcels of the illicit substance weighing 35.20 kilograms stuffed in two of her three bags.
“In her statement, she claimed she was recruited to traffic the consignment through an online platform for 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos. She said she took the offer because she needed the money to pay for her ongoing master’s degree programme in Canada,” the statement noted.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports, Onne, Rivers State have intercepted Thirteen Million, Two Hundred and Ninety Eight Thousand (13,298,000) pills of opioids including Tramadol, Tramaking Quick Action Tramadol, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol and Carisoprodol.
The officers also seized Three Hundred and Thirty Eight Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty Three (338, 253) bottles of codeine based cough syrup, all worth over Nine Billion, Seventeen Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy One Thousand Naira (N9,017, 771,000) in street value.
The anti-narcotics agency disclosed that the opioids were recovered in three containers coming from India, and it was targeted during a 100% joint examination of the cargoes with men of the Nigerian Customs and other port stakeholders on Wednesday and Thursday, October 2 and 3, 2024 respectively.
“Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos on Thursday 3rd October intercepted 100 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 50kg. The consignment was packed in 20 parcels each in five jumbo bags concealed in a container with four units of imported vehicles that came from Canada.
“Though the container had earlier been cleared out of the ESS Libra Bonded Terminal in Ikorodu but based on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives were able to trace it to a warehouse in Ikorodu where the illicit consignments were discovered in one of the imported vehicles, a Toyota Sienna bus. A suspect, Abubakar Shuaibu Ibrahim has already been taken into custody in connection with the seizure,” the statement further read.
In another operation in Lagos, a suspect identified as Bolanle Ajenifuja was on Friday, October 4, apprehended at Afo – Media area of Ojo where 700 litres of skuchies, a mixture of local chapman and cocktail of illicit drugs were recovered from her.
In the same vein, three suspects: Ezekiel Akpele; Elijah Michael; and Goddard John, were nabbed same day when NDLEA operatives raided two cannabis farms located at bridge camp, a boundary community between Edo and Ondo States.
“Not less than 9,966.332kg of the substance was destroyed on over three hectares of farmland with 48kg of the already processed psychoactive substance recovered.”
Elsewhere (Taraba State), NDLEA officers on Thursday, October 3, intercepted a commercial bus marked JAL 198 YQ coming from Onitsha, Anambra State to Jalingo.
Babafemi stated that large quantities of opioids including tramadol, rohypnol and codeine-based syrup concealed in body compartments of the vehicle were recovered when it was searched.
Consequently, two suspects: Pako Thomas and Emmanuel Anyigor were arrested, and another suspect, Chibuzor Okafor was nabbed at Wukari on Wednesday, October 2, with 80 blocks of cannabis weighing 38kg hidden in bags of garri.
However, the Commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
The activities include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Government Science Secondary School, Musawa, Katsina; Students and teachers of Akanu Ibiam Memorial Seminary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Students and staff of Community High School, Ile Ogbo, Osun, and Students of Dominion Secondary School, Okon, Akwa Ibom State, among others.
Reacting to the arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the officers and men of MMIA, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, and Taraba Commands for their operations.
Gen. Marwa noted that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.
