NDLEA intercepts drug consignments in wooden statue, imported vehicles

• Published date: 08 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted illicit drugs hidden in a wooden statue and imported vehicles.

Spokesperson of the Agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the consignments were meant for export to the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates.

They were found at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja and Tincan seaport in Lagos.

Babafemi said no less than 37.5 kilograms of such illicit consignments were intercepted in the past week.

Eleven persons were arrested in interdiction operations that led to the seizure of almost four tons of skunk in Kaduna, Kano and Lagos.

The statement reads: 'At the Lagos airport, a freight agent Ogunsina Damilare was arrested on Friday 6th January following a bid to export 1.5 kilograms of skunk hidden in foodstuffs to Dubai, UAE through the SAHCO export shed of the MMIA.

'A similar attempt to ship 11.5kgs of the same substance to the United Kingdom was frustrated when the consignment concealed in a giant wooden sculpture was intercepted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI) at a courier company in Lagos.

'Curiously, the latter emanated from Ghana with London as destination.

'At the Tincan port in Lagos, a shipment of 24.5kilograms cannabis indica to Nigeria from Montreal, Canada was intercepted by operatives while an N8million bribe offered NDLEA officers by the importer has been secured in an account for the prosecution of the case.

'While the importer, Cedrick Maduweke is still at large, one of his accomplices, Steve Isioma Adigwe has been arrested.

'The consignment was hidden in a used Toyota Sienna vehicle that arrived the port along with three other cars in a container marked MSMU 5082733

'A total of 3, 672 kilograms of cannabis sativa were recovered from two locations and five suspects arrested in Kaduna during separate raid operations.

'Arrested...