The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) conducted a series of intelligence-driven operations over the weekend, resulting in the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs, vehicles, and the arrest of key suspects in Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt, demonstrating the agency’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and distribution in Nigeria, SAVANNAH NEWSNOW REPORTS.
On January 11, 2025, NDLEA operatives seized a 40-foot trailer containing 2,217.6 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, at an abandoned fuel station in the Kagini, Kubwa area of the Federal Capital Territory.
The trailer was in the process of offloading its cargo into six vehicles for distribution to northern states.
One suspect, Isaac Monday Desmond, 42, was arrested during the operation. According to the NDLEA, the consignment was loaded in Uzebba, Owan local government area, Edo state, before being transported to Abuja.
In a separate operation in the FCT, Anthony Nnamdi, 42, and Abba Ali, 27, were arrested in Nyanya with 1.398 kilograms of cocaine and precursor substances used to manufacture crack cocaine.
In Lagos, officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation intercepted a shipment of cocaine concealed in face cream containers at a logistics firm.
The parcel, destined for Australia, contained 20 wraps of cocaine weighing 330 grams.
At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers state, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, intercepted 338,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over ₦1.19 billion.
In a major breakthrough, NDLEA officers have arrested Bariu Aliu, alias Malo, a traditional chief priest of the Igunuko shrine in Alpha Beach, Ajah, Lagos, who had been on the run since October 25, 2024, after 2,760 kilograms of skunk were recovered from his shrine.
