NDLEA intercepts cocaine, skunk consignments from Brazil, Canada in Enugu, Lagos

• Published date: 22 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

The National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has thwarted efforts to smuggle in 126.95 kilograms of cocaine and skunk concealed in herbal tea packs and imported vehicles by drug cartels from Brazil and Canada into the country.

Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday said the drugs were at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, AIIA, Enugu and the Tincan seaport in Lagos.

Babafemi said at the Enugu airport, an Ethiopian Airline male passenger, Eze Christian Ikenna, 42, coming from Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was intercepted on arrival at the airport at about 12:30pm on Friday 20th January.

He said a search of his two bags revealed 19 big sachets which he claimed to contained herbal tea but were later found to be cocaine weighing 16.20 kilograms.

He added that a joint examination carried out on a container marked TCLU 7799237 from Montreal, Canada at Sifax Okota Bonded Terminal by NDLEA operatives attached to Tincan Command of the Agency on Wednesday 18th January led to the discovery of 110.75kgs of Cannabis Indica concealed in two of the four vehicles in the container. The vehicles were a 2011 Toyota Sienna and a 2011 Honda Pilot SUV.

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The statement reads, 'Deliberate efforts to cut access to illicit opioids by the Agency again paid off on Tuesday when a consignment of Tramadol NDLEA operatives have been tracking for some months was eventually traced to a warehouse at Greenfield estate, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos. When the store was opened, a total of One Million Six Hundred and Forty Five Thousand Five Hundred and Sixty (1,645,560) pills of Tramadol 100mg, 200mg and 225mg were recovered.

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'Another 60,000 pills of Tramadol 250mg were equally recovered from a wanted drug dealer, Diugwu Alphonsus in Bariga area of the state same day while raids carried out in Akala area of Mushin on Wednesday 18th and Friday 20th January led to the recovery of 781.7kgs of cannabis.

'In Osun state, NDLEA officers on Friday 20th...