Timothy Omobude 
By: (IT) Inna Friday
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted consignments of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and codeine-based cough syrup worth more than ₦5 billion at the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos State and the Onne Port in Rivers State.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. He said the seizures followed months of intelligence gathering and tracking of the consignments from their ports of origin.
According to the agency, NDLEA operatives at the three seaports carried out joint examinations of containers placed on its watch list, working alongside the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.At the Apapa Port in Lagos, two containers shipped from Bangkok, Thailand, were subjected to a thorough examination. The operation led to the discovery of 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124 kilogrammes, valued at about ₦372 million. The drugs were reportedly concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons.
At the Onne Port in Rivers State, operatives recovered 40 packs of Loud weighing 22 kilogrammes from a travelling bag and three vehicles shipped in one of the containers. Another container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, weighing approximately 16,440 kilogrammes. The combined street value of the drugs recovered at the port was put at ₦833.2 million.
At the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on September 29 searched a container shipped from Montreal, Canada. They recovered 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5 kilogrammes, valued at more than ₦3.8 billion. The drugs were allegedly concealed in a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, alongside other items.The NDLEA also disclosed that its operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos arrested a 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, with 4.8 kilogrammes of cocaine allegedly concealed in the soles of shoes and the railings of travelling bags. He was arrested while preparing to board a flight to Milan, Italy.
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain efforts against drug trafficking across the country.
