The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted more than 2.3 tonnes of assorted illicit drugs in coordinated operations across nine states, including synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Colorado or Colos, opioids and other controlled substances.
The agency also dismantled a Colorado distribution network linked to two consignments shipped from the United Kingdom and arrested several suspects, including a real estate agent and a 44-year-old man who allegedly received a consignment from his brother in the UK.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
According to Babafemi, operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted a UK-bound consignment containing 27 parcels of Colorado weighing 32.20kg.
He said a real estate agent, Abideen Jide Salami, was arrested on September 9 after allegedly arriving with a collection code sent by his brother in the UK to retrieve luggage containing the illicit substance.
A follow-up operation linked to another UK consignment subsequently led to the arrest of 44-year-old Nurudeen Abiodun Kadiri, who allegedly told investigators that his brother in the UK sent him the 12.25kg Colorado consignment.
In a separate operation at Maza-Maza, Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a music speaker containing three packs of Colorado allegedly destined for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and subsequently Liberia.
Babafemi said a 41-year-old tour agent, Ifeanyi Obed Augustine, and the alleged owner of the consignment, 46-year-old Obasi Ugochukwu, were arrested during a sting operation at a nearby eatery.
At Iddo Park, Lagos, another suspect, Ifeanyi Nwokolo Henry, was arrested on September 11 while allegedly attempting to dispatch 2.1kg of Colorado to Kano.
Seizures in Delta, Kano
In Delta State, separate operations in Ughelli and Asaba resulted in the seizure of ampoules of pentazocine injection, codeine syrup, tramadol, diazepam, flunitrazepam and MDMA.
Some of the substances were allegedly concealed inside music speakers.
Two suspects, Emeka Oji and Chukwuebuka Anedi, were arrested in connection with the seizures.
In Kano State, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives raided a location in Sabon Gari, where they arrested a 20-year-old suspect, Saidu Adamu, with 785,000 capsules of pregabalin weighing 669.425kg.
He added that a stop-and-search operation along the Zaria-Kano-Hadejia Road led to the seizure of 1,700 tablets of diazepam concealed inside loaves of bread.
The consignment was allegedly being conveyed by 28-year-old Habibu Sabitu, who was arrested.
The NDLEA said the operations formed part of its ongoing efforts to disrupt the trafficking, distribution and movement of illicit drugs across the country.
