By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
MULTI-BILLION-naira shipments of Methamphetamine and Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, destined for distribution during the Christmas and New Year festivities, have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Tincan Seaport, Lagos.
The seizure, which represents a significant breakthrough in Nigeria’s anti-narcotic operations, followed months of meticulous intelligence-driven tracking of the shipments across three continents.
Two separate consignments of methamphetamine, weighing a total of 83.301 kilograms, were recovered from containers loaded with automobile spare parts imported from Canada.
The shipments, bound for warehouses in the Ladipo automobile parts market in the Mushin area of Lagos, were intercepted on Thursday, 12th December, and Friday, 13th December 2024.
During the joint examination of the first container at the Sifax bonded terminal, operatives discovered 5.001 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in a bag wrapped in bed sheets within a Toyota Camry car.
The discovery led to the immediate arrest of a businessman, Isaac Onwumere, linked to the consignment.
The second container, examined the following day, was found to hold 1,735 parcels of Loud packed in 44 jumbo bags, weighing a total of 867.5 kilograms.
In addition, six plastic coolers containing 87 packs of methamphetamine weighing 78.3 kilograms were recovered. Two businessmen, Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe, were apprehended in connection with this shipment.
The street value of the recovered narcotics is staggering.
The methamphetamine consignments, weighing 83.301 kilograms, are valued at ₦124,951,000. Meanwhile, the Loud consignment, weighing 867.5 kilograms, has an estimated street value of ₦2,168,750,000.
Months of intelligence processing and collaborative tracking by NDLEA’s Special Operations Units and the Tincan Port Strategic Command enabled the seizures.
Moreover, the first container, containing 5.001 kilograms of methamphetamine, was flagged by NDLEA’s intelligence network as early as 4th October 2024 when preparations for its shipment commenced in Toronto, Canada.
Operatives monitored its journey through Montreal, Antwerp, and Lagos, with its final destination being Ladipo Market.
Similarly, the second consignment of Loud and methamphetamine, which followed the same shipping route, was tracked from its origin in Toronto on 8th October 2024 to its arrival in Lagos on 6th December 2024.
Both shipments were monitored at every stage, including their trans-shipment at Antwerp in Belgium.
In a related development, at the Onne Port in Rivers State, NDLEA operatives intercepted 636,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth ₦4,456,200,000 in street value.
These bottles were hidden in containers shipped from India and were recovered on 9th, 11th, and 13th December 2024 during joint examinations by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies.
Meanwhile, NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign intensified nationwide. Enlightenment lectures were held in various institutions, including City Comprehensive College, Ogidi, Anambra; Government Secondary School, Toungo, Adamawa; and Bonny Camp Primary School, Lagos.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the operatives for their dedication.
He warned drug barons and syndicates to abandon their illicit trade, stating that NDLEA’s capacity to track and intercept shipments remains unmatched.
