The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted consignments of cocaine and opioids concealed in export packages bound for the United Kingdom and Australia, while also recovering 1,989 rounds of military-grade ammunition along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
The agency said the seizures were part of coordinated operations carried out across several states in the country.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said operatives made the drug interceptions at a courier company in Lagos during routine checks on shipments destined for overseas locations.
According to him, 170 grams of cocaine concealed inside the walls of a carton filled with clothes and other items heading to Australia were recovered during the operation.
Babafemi added that another consignment heading to the UK contained various opioids, including 200 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 1,100 capsules of tramadol and 100 ampoules of promethazine injection.
He said the agency also intensified its crackdown on illicit drug cultivation and trafficking in several parts of the country.
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives reportedly raided Ejeonu village in Ukwuani Local Government Area where they destroyed 27,500 kilograms of skunk cultivated on 11 hectares of farmland.
The operation also led to the recovery of 22.9 kilograms of the substance, while a 52-year-old suspect was later arrested in Obiaruku during a follow-up operation.
Babafemi further disclosed that operatives in Kano intercepted a 25-litre jerry can of palm oil used to conceal 1.2 kilograms of tramaking 225mg pills at Kofar Ruwa motor park following intelligence reports.
He said another suspect was arrested the same day in the Sabuwar Sharada area of the state with 30.5 kilograms of skunk.
In another operation at Orogun village in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta, NDLEA officers destroyed 37,500 kilograms of skunk cultivated on 15 hectares of farmland and recovered an additional 55.4 kilograms of the substance.
A suspect was also apprehended during the raid.
“This brings the total weight of skunk destroyed by NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers in the two operations, to 65,000 kilograms,” Babafemi said.
He added that operatives in Kaduna recovered 361 kilograms of skunk during a raid in the Dan Magaji area of Zaria town, where another suspect was arrested.
The NDLEA spokesman also revealed that officers on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna highway intercepted a large cache of ammunition concealed in bags of garri.
According to him, a suspect was arrested while transporting 1,989 rounds of RLA 7.62mm ammunition hidden inside fresh cassava granules.
Babafemi said the suspect and the recovered ammunition had been handed over to another security agency for further investigation.
In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives arrested a 29-year-old businessman accused of producing drug-laced cakes and cookies for parties and social gatherings.
He said the suspect was apprehended at his residence in the Life Camp area of Abuja where officers recovered 800 grams of skunk and 2.7 kilograms of drug-infused cookies.
The agency also reported additional arrests and seizures in Ogun, Oyo, Taraba and Edo states as part of ongoing anti-drug operations nationwide.
Babafemi noted that the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign also continued in schools and communities across the country.
He listed some of the institutions visited to include The Apostolic Church Model College in Ibadan, School of Health Technology in Niger State, Yewa Junior High School in Lagos, Government Secondary School in Katsina, Igogo Commercial High School in Ekiti and Government Girls Secondary School in Kano.
The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the various operations for their commitment and urged commands across the country to sustain efforts aimed at reducing both drug supply and demand.
