NDLEA, foreign partners probe masterminds of 1000kg cocaine bust
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Marwa said that the essence of collaborating with the international partners on the case was to ensure no stone was left unturned and every gap was sufficiently covered.
By Ibironke Ariyo
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said it is working with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA) to unravel the cartel behind the importation of 1,000kg of cocaine recovered from a container at the PTML Terminal of Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
The essence of collaborating with the international partners on the case was to ensure no stone was left unturned and every gap was sufficiently covered, NDLEA Director, Media Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja
According to the NDLEA Director, the PTML operators had noticed the consignment in an empty container last weekend and invited port stakeholders including NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies for joint examination.
He said that after field tests by NDLEA confirmed the shipment to be cocaine, the consignment was formally transferred to NDLEA custody for further investigation on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
This, he said, followed collaborative engagements between the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen Buba Marwa and the Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Dr Adewale Adeniyi.
“The large quantity of the recovered Class A drug is worth over $235million dollars (Over N338 billion) in the international market and the global dimension to the cocaine cartel.
“Marwa on Tuesday, Nov. 11 directed that the agency’s leading international partners be involved in the investigation.
“In a swift response to the agency’s request, officers of the US-DEA and UK-NCA have already joined the ongoing investigation of the largest single seizure of cocaine at the Tincan Port Lagos,” he said
Marwa said that the essence of collaborating with the international partners on the case was to ensure no stone was left unturned and every gap was sufficiently covered.
This, he said would ultimately get all the masterminds of the huge consignment brought to book wherever they were located across the globe.
(NAN)
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