The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cocaine consignments concealed in export packages destined for China and Italy, while recording multiple arrests and major drug seizures across several states.
The agency said the cocaine was discovered during operations by officers of its Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI) at a logistics company in Lagos.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the seizures were made on Thursday after operatives uncovered sophisticated concealment methods used to package the illicit drugs for international shipment.
Babafemi disclosed that officers recovered 250 grams of cocaine factory-fitted into the base of a traditional local mortar packed inside a carton for export to China.
Another 500 grams of cocaine was found hidden in the false bottom of a backpack destined for Italy.
Beyond the Lagos operation, the agency also recorded significant enforcement successes in Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa and Zamfara states.
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence arrested a 38-year-old suspected drug dealer at Eagle Island, Port Harcourt.
The suspect was apprehended on July 26 with quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, Swinol, tramadol and codeine syrup.
In Anambra State, officers conducting a stop-and-search operation at the DMGS Roundabout in Onitsha intercepted a truck with registration number XK 131 BDG carrying 26,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing approximately 3,960 kilograms.
The truck driver was arrested in connection with the seizure.
Similarly, operatives in Delta State recovered 331.84 kilograms of skunk from a Toyota Sienna bus bearing registration number KUJ 26 DV along the Kwale-Ughelli Expressway on July 26.
In Nasarawa State, a 64-year-old suspect was arrested on Tuesday at Asso Angwan Muazu in the Karu area with 68 kilograms of skunk and 29 grams of methamphetamine.
The agency also reported that operatives on patrol along the Zaria-Gusau Highway in Zamfara State intercepted a suspect transporting 7,400 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, believed to be intended for criminal groups.
Aside from enforcement operations, the NDLEA said it continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign through public awareness programmes in schools, transport parks, workplaces and communities.
The outreach activities included lectures for students and staff of Hausawa Special Primary School in Kano, Royal Crown School in Oluyole, Ibadan, Government Secondary School in Ibi, Taraba State, and commercial drivers at Challenge Bus Terminal Park in Ibadan.
NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, commended officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations as well as personnel in the Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa and Zamfara commands for the successful operations.
Marwa urged officers nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced strategy of aggressive drug enforcement alongside preventive education aimed at reducing drug abuse across the country.
