APAPA, TINCAN, ONNE: NDLEA INTERCEPTS MASSIVE DRUG CONSIGNMENTS

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has intercepted consignments of high-potency cannabis known as Loud and codeine-based cough syrup with a combined street value exceeding ₦5 billion at major Nigerian seaports.

The seizures followed intelligence-led operations involving Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos and the Onne Port in Rivers State.

APAPA PORT SEIZURE

At Apapa Port, NDLEA operatives working with other agencies intercepted 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124 kilogrammes. The consignment, valued at ₦372 million, was concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons in a container shipped from Bangkok, Thailand.

The seizure was part of intelligence-led tracking of suspicious consignments moving through international shipping routes.

TINCAN ISLAND: CANADIAN LOUD DISCOVERED

At Tin Can Island Port, officers intercepted another container shipped from Montreal, Canada. The container contained 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing approximately 1,297.5kg.

The NDLEA valued the drugs at more than ₦3.8 billion.

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Investigators reportedly discovered the cannabis concealed inside a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, alongside other items in the container.

ONNE PORT: 109,600 BOTTLES OF CODEINE

At Onne Port in Rivers State, two containers placed on the agency’s watchlist were subjected to joint examination. One contained 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg. The second contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.

The agency said the codeine shipment had travelled from India to Saudi Arabia, where information concerning its origin was allegedly deleted before it was shipped onward.

The combined street value of the Loud and codeine recovered at Onne was put at ₦833.2 million.

MONTHS OF INTELLIGENCE WORK

The NDLEA said the port seizures followed months of intelligence gathering and tracking of the shipments from their original ports.

The development highlights the role of intelligence-led screening in identifying illicit consignments concealed among legitimate commercial cargo.

It also demonstrates the scale of the challenge facing Nigerian authorities as traffickers attempt to exploit legitimate international shipping networks.

OTHER DRUG TRAFFICKING OPERATIONS

The port seizures formed part of wider NDLEA operations reported across the country.The agency also announced the arrest of a businessman allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.8 kilogrammes of cocaine to Italy.

According to the agency, officers recovered cocaine concealed inside the soles of eight pairs of shoes and in the railings of four travelling bags.

The suspect’s case remains an allegation unless and until established through the appropriate judicial process.

THE WIDER DRUG TRAFFICKING CHALLENGE

The quantities intercepted at the ports demonstrate why maritime cargo screening remains an important part of Nigeria’s anti-drug enforcement strategy.

The discovery of both cannabis and pharmaceutical opioids in large quantities also highlights the diversity of substances traffickers attempt to move through the country’s supply chains.

For the NDLEA, the immediate task will be to trace the networks behind the consignments, identify other suspects and establish how the shipments entered Nigeria.

Successful seizure operations are important, but disrupting the networks responsible for financing, importing and distributing illicit drugs remains the larger objective, ValidViewNetwork reports.

The seizures also underline the need for sustained cooperation among drug enforcement authorities, customs officials, port operators and international partners to prevent Nigeria’s ports from becoming channels for large-scale illicit drug trafficking.