The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) personnel have seized shipments of Colorado cannabis hidden in automobiles imported from Montreal, Canada, and packs of cannabis juice flown in from South Africa for distribution before Christmas.
The drugs were seized at the Tincan seaport in Apapa and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State, according to a statement released yesterday by agency spokesman Femi Babafemi.
According to him, 12 people have been arrested in connection with the two seizures, including two dock workers and the proprietor of a wine shop.
The NDLEA seized 152 kilogrammes of skunk from two traffickers in Kano, 100,000 pills of Tramadol in Imo State and 520 kilogrammes of cannabis smuggled into the capital city of Abuja by hiding it in crates of soft beverages.
According to the statement, “At the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport, the search of consolidated cargo from South Africa led to the discovery of smuggled bottled Cannabis juice with a gross weight of 16.50kg on Wednesday 21st December. Investigations by anti-narcotics officers subsequently led to the arrest of four freight agents, whose statements eventually led to the arrest of the consignee, a wine shop business owner, the following day, Thursday, 22nd December.
“Also, an attempt to export quantities of cannabis and ecstasy pills, also known as MDMA concealed in beverage drink, Bournvita, containers to Dubai, UAE, through the NAHCO export shed on Friday 23rd December was frustrated while a vulcaniser given the assignment for a fee of N4,000, Iyanda Ogunleye Yaya has been arrested.
“In the same vein, a consignment of 185 parcels of cannabis Indica, popularly called Colorado, weighing 61.3kgs have been seized during a joint examination of a container at the Tincan seaport, Lagos. The container marked MSCU5206726 from Montreal, Canada, was declared as containing three units of used vehicles, but upon a 100% examination, it was found to have two vehicles; a 2009 Toyota Corolla car and a 2009 Ford Econoline bus as well as used car engines, bicycles, shoes and other items including the drugs.
“Two dock workers: Abdulquadri Abdulazeez and Ogbuji Kenneth, are already in NDLEA custody in connection with the seizure following their initial arrest by the Port Security and the Police.”
Two suspects, Nura Zakariya’u and Alkasim Abubakar were arrested along the Zaria-Kano road in Kwanar Dangora in Kano with 161 blocks of cannabis weighing 152 kilogrammes. On his way to Onitsha, Anambra state, a total of 100,000 tramadol pills were recovered from a suspect, Amaechi Johnson, in Imo state. And on 20th December, operatives in the Ehinogbe, Owo area of Ondo state confiscated 708 kilogrammes of cannabis from a bus.