4th August, 2024
By Ibironke Ariyo
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested not less than ten suspected drug traffickers in various operations.
The agency’s operatives recovered 77 packages of Canadian ‘Loud’, a synthetic strain of cannabis (Indian hemp) at Tincan Port in Lagos.
Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, said in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, that the drugs were hidden in the body compartments of four vehicles.
Babafemi said that the drugs which were recovered on Friday Aug. 22 were located in Toyota Highlander, Ford Explorer, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Sienna respectively.
He said that the drugs were imported from Canada and were intercepted during a joint examination of some containers with men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other stakeholders.
“The seized consignments have a total weight of 38.5 kilograms while two suspects: Abiodun Salami, 34 and Lekan Atoyebi, 33, assigned to clear the shipments have been taken into custody.
“Another suspect, Isiagu Sunday was arrested in Mushin Ojuoye, Lagos on Thursday, Aug. 1 with 1,740 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 174 litres and 1,070 tablets of Molly weighing 600 grams,” he said.
No less than 50 bags of cannabis with a gross weight of 520kg were recovered in the bush at Isuada, Owo council area of Ondo state.
Babafemi said that five suspects were also arrested at Itaogbolu forest, Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
He said that the suspects nabbed in connection with the seizure of 42kg of the same psychoactive substance include: Jimoh Omotosho, 63; Donald Obi, 62; Emmanuel Patrick, 21; Kayode Oluwaseun, 39; and John Nsikan, 34.
In Edo state, twenty-two and a half bags of cannabis weighing 220kg were recovered from Egbeta community, Ovia North East area of Edo state on Tuesday, July 30.
The NDLEA spokesman said that a suspect, Osayede Aghoma was arrested and another suspect, Ibrahim Abubakar, 55, was on Wednesday, July 31 nabbed with 40 blocks of same substance.
He said that the substance weighed 19.200kg and was intercepted along the Okene-Lokoja highway in a commercial bus coming from Lagos enroute to Kano.
