The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 4,143.5 kilogrammes of suspected Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos.The illicit consignment, comprising 8,287 nylon bags with an estimated street value of over N10.3 billion, was discovered inside a container imported from Canada during a joint examination by NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on July 10.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja. According to Babafemi, the seizure followed weeks of intelligence-driven surveillance and monitoring of the shipment from its point of departure in Montreal, Canada, by operatives of the NDLEA’s Maritime Intelligence Unit in collaboration with the Apapa Strategic Command.In a separate operation, operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) foiled an attempt to smuggle 2.5 kilogrammes of suspected skunk, another strain of cannabis, concealed inside a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a Lagos-based courier company.
Babafemi said the agency had also intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, with sensitisation programmes continuing in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities across the country.He added that NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier General Buba Marwa, commended officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation and the Apapa Command for the successful operations.Marwa praised their commitment to disrupting illicit drug trafficking and urged personnel nationwide to sustain the momentum in reducing the supply of illegal drugs across the country.