The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has busted an illicit drug syndicate and seized drugs worth millions of naira.
The successes were recorded during a recent nationwide intelligence-led operation.
In a statement on Sunday in Abuja, Femi Babafemi, the Director, Media and Advocacy, disclosed that 2.32kg of cocaine concealed in Kente, Ghanaian traditional fabric, en route the United Kingdom, was on August 5 intercepted at a courier firm in Lagos.
According to him, the anti-drug agency also recovered 10.494kg of the same class of drug buried in heavy duty pivot shafts en route the U.S. at the same logistics company.
He said: “NDLEA sniffer dogs fished out the automobile spare parts containing the illicit drug. The total weight of cocaine seized in the two shipments is 12.814kg.”
Furthermore, Babafemi revealed that five other consignments going to the U.S., UK and Canada were on Aug. 9 also confiscated at a courier firm in Lagos, including 517 grams of cocaine concealed in clothing materials, various quantities of pentazocine injection, promethazine injection and cocodamol pills.
The NDLEA spokesperson also disclosed that 297 pills of tramadol 225mg en route Canada were also intercepted.
Similarly, he said that 21 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 10kg, from the U.S. were recovered during a recent operation in Abuja.
He added that personnel of the agency on Aug. 7, apprehended a member of a cocaine trafficking network, at Alafia Orile, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos while attempting to move 9.00kg of cocaine to Onitsha, Anambra State.
He said that in a follow-up operation, two persons suspected to be members of an Nnewi-based cocaine syndicate were arrested on Aug. 8.
“This followed the seizure of their consignments in a public transport company bus at Benin in Edo,” Babafemi said.
“The driver of the bus was arrested at Benin tollgate with a total of 2.865kg of cocaine.”