OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of cocaine concealed 20 sets of religious books going to Saudi Arabia.
This was contained in a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi.
According to him, the cocaine consignment consisting of 20 parcels with a total weight of 500grams and buried in the pages of the religious books was uncovered at a courier company in Lagos on Tuesday 15th April 2025 when NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) were searching through export cargos going to Saudi Arabia at the logistics firm.
“At another courier company same day, NDLEA officers intercepted five parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 2.8kgs hidden in a carton coming from the United States of America,” Babafemi said.
In Kano State, a 22-year-old supplier of illicit substances to bandits, Muhammad Mohammed, was arrested by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bichi-Kano road while heading to Katsina with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied to his thigh and private part with sellotape.
He was intercepted on Sunday 13th April, while another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was nabbed same day at Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano with 68 blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 30kgs.
Also, not less than 557.2kgs of skunk, 5.6kgs of methamphetamine and 29.8grams of heroin were recovered from a house along Major General Isaiah Alllison Street, Opolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State where four suspects were arrested when NDLEA operatives raided the premises on Wednesday 16th April.
The four suspects arrested during the raid include: Sarimiye Suwa Kurtis, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare Paul, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46.
While a total of 1,100kgs of skunk were recovered from a delivery van with the driver, Ismail Abdullahi arrested in Surulere area of Lagos on Thursday 17th April, NDLEA operatives in Kaduna on Friday 18th April raided the hideout of a suspect, Ike Ani, 30, in Zaria, where no fewer than 31,950 pills of tramadol 225mg and diazepam were recovered.
In Kebbi State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bagudo road on Friday 18th April intercepted a vehicle loaded with bags of charcoal coming from Malabil, Benin Republic.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 97kgs skunk concealed in the sacks of charcoal.
Three suspects: Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
This is as a 48-year-old Okafor Marcel was nabbed with 11.5kgs skunk at Abatete, Anambra State while NDLEA operatives in Osogbo, Osun State on Tuesday 15th April arrested Ajala Mercy, 27, with 43 litres of skushi, a mixture of black currant, cannabis and opioids recovered from her room at Dada estate, Halleluyah area of the state capital.
Meanwhile, two cannabis farms in Egbeta forest, Ovia North East LGA, Edo State were raided by NDLEA operatives who destroyed 3,717.8625kgs of the psychoactive plant on 1.487145 hectares and recovered 136.5kgs of processed cannabis.
At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, a suspect Basorun Usman Kayode, 40, who has been at large for two years was arrested by NDLEA officers in connection with the seizure of 107kgs Loud imported from Canada in 2023, while another suspect, Dauda Yakubu who distributes illicit drugs within the seaport community was arrested by a team of operatives on Monday 14th April.
