THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives on Christmas Eve intercepted two boats loaded with 1,960 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis at the Eleko beach in Lekki area of Lagos.
The operatives arrested six foreign nationals who had brought the consignments from Ghana during a midnight operation on Christmas Eve.
A statement released on Sunday by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the suspects include two Ghanaians, Godsway John (38) and Freedom Kelvin (33), and four Beninese: Chegoun Hounsou (23), Gadabor Nyameto (47), Adantg Sasa (34), and Ayao Kayivi (21).
According to him, the cannabis consignments had been smuggled into Nigeria from Ghana via the waterways.
The NDLEA, in a separate operation, arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Orizu Arthur, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while attempting to board an Air France flight to Paris on Sunday, 22nd December.
According to the Agency’s statement, Orizu was flagged during passenger clearance when he refused to undergo a body scan, citing medical reasons.
“He was subsequently taken into custody for excretion observation, during which he excreted a total of 74 wraps of Class A drugs over a period of seven days.
“In his statement, Orizu claimed to own a shop at Balogun Market, Lagos Island, where he sells school and travel bags. He added that he was promised 3,000 Euros upon successful delivery of the consignment in Paris.
“He had travelled from Lagos to the Abuja airport to connect to his Air France flight to Paris, hoping to escape detection,” Babafemi added.
Babafemi also disclosed that two suspects were arrested in separate operations for possession of compressed cannabis sativa.
He said, “A suspect, Ibrahim Shaibu, 35, was arrested in possession of 40 album-size parcels of compressed cannabis sativa, weighing 35kg, on Christmas Day, 25th December, at Central Motor Park, Katsina. Another suspect, Umar Ahmed, 47, was nabbed along the Zaria-Malumfashi road, Katsina, with 27 parcels of the same psychoactive substance, weighing 13.5kg, on Saturday, 28th December.”
Similarly, Babafemi said a raid in Benin City, Edo State, on 23rd December led to the arrest of a 21-year-old suspect, Kosisochukwu Ozigbo.
“Recovered from the suspect were: 32,490 pills of tramadol (225mg, 200mg, and 100mg); 936 bottles of codeine-based syrup; and various quantities of other opioids,” he added.