22nd July, 2013
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Mohammad International Airport , Lagos, arrested 41 suspected drug traffickers in the first half of the year, a statement said.
In the statement issued by the spokesman for NDLEA, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, in Lagos on Monday, the agency added that it recovered drugs valued at N2.3 billion.
“We have apprehended 41 suspected drug traffickers with 253.390kg of narcotics with an estimated street value of N2.3 billion. The drugs were intercepted between January and June 2013.
“Those arrested include 39 male and 2 female,” the agency said.
“ The command also won 53 cases most of which were charged to court in 2012.
“In the first half of the year, the airport command successfully seized 253.390kg of various illegal drugs. Methamphetamine alone weighed 169.290kg. This was followed by cannabis with 47.230kg.
“Cocaine is 31.475kg and heroin 5.395kg. The 53 drug traffickers convicted include ongoing 2012 cases,” the statement added.
It said that the successes recorded were as a result of incentives and motivation for officers, ranging from promotion, commendation letters and cash rewards. The agency said that three Bolivians and a Colombian were among persons arrested over suspicion of running illicit drug laboratories.
—Simon Ateba