The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recovered 636,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N4.4 billion in street value at Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers State.
The Agency also seized drugs worth N3.3 billion in Lagos.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the drugs were intercepted in shipments from India in Port Harcourt on December 9, 11 and 13.
He said that the seizures were made during joint examination of four containers by NDLEA officers, men of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies at the port.
This, he said, was made possible following processed credible intelligence on the shipments by the NDLEA operatives.
“At the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers state, no fewer than 636,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N4.4billion in street value were intercepted in shipments from India,”he said.
Meanwhile, with the same vigour, Commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, (WADA), sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
Babafemi named the places as WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of City Comprehensive College, Ogidi, Anambra, Government Secondary School, Toungo, Adamawa, Bonny Camp Primary School, Victoria Island, Lagos, and Government Junior Secondary School, Yarganji, Kano.
He added that the Oyo state command of NDLEA delivered WADA enlightenment lecture to leaders, elders, youths and residents of Tapa community, Tapa, among others.
This, he said, was a continuous process by the agency in order to reduce to the barest minimum, the dangers of illicit drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking across the country.
Babafemi quoted the NDLEA Chairman, retired, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa as commending the officers and men of the Onne Commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures.
Marwa said that the operational successes should show the drug barons and cartels that the agency had the capacity and intelligence network to track their movements and their consignments even before getting to Nigeria.
He said that the agency would continue to lose heavily if they fail to back down on the criminal trade.
The Agency also intercepted N3.3 billion worth of shipments of meth and “loud”, a strong synthetic strain of cannabis.
Babafemi said that the drugs which were concealed in automobile spare parts imported from Canada was seized at the Tincan seaport in Lagos.
The seizure, he said, followed months of intelligence-driven tracking of the cargoes across three continents by the NDLEA operatives.
Babafemi said that for the first time in the history of NDLEA’s anti-narcotic operations, the two consignments of methamphetamine were weighing 83.301 kilograms.
He said that they were recovered on Thursday and Friday, from separate containers bearing vehicles and spare parts.
The NDLEA image maker added that the drugs which were came in from Canada, was headed to a warehouses in the Ladipo automobile parts market in Mushin area of Lagos.
“One of the containers going to Ladipo market through the Sifax bonded terminal was examined on Thursday.
“Not less than 5.001kg methamphetamine were hidden in a bag wrapped in bed sheet that came in a Toyota Camry car, was recovered while a businessman, Isaac Onwumere linked with the consignment was promptly arrested.
“The other container bearing automobile spare parts checked on Friday, was found to contain 1,735 parcels of Loud packed in 44 jumbo bags with a total weight of 867.5kg.
“Another plastic coolers containing 87 packs of methamphetamine weighing 78.3kg was also recovered.
“Two businessmen have been arrested in connection to the seizure.
“The two meth consignments have a combined weight of 83.301kg and 867.5kg worth N2.1bn and N124.9m in street value,” he said.
Babafemi said that the seizures were made during a joint examination of the shipments with Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and other port stakeholders.
He added that the success recorded was made possible by combined Special Operations Units in NDLEA and the Tincan Port Strategic Command of the Agency.
“The first container with 5.001kg meth came under the radar of NDLEA’s intelligence network on October 4, when the preparation for the shipment began in Toronto, Canada.
“It was monitored through Oct. 8, when the shipment was received at the rail ramp, loaded on the rail and departed to Montreal, Canada where it arrived and was unloaded the following day Oct. 9.
“The consignment was further monitored till it was loaded on a vessel on October 19 through when the vessel arrived and discharged at Antwerp in Belgium on Oct. 30.
“The consignment was trans-shipped and loaded on Nov. 14, before arriving Lagos port on Dec. 1 and released to a bonded terminal two days after.
“The second shipment containing 867.5kg Loud and 78.3kg meth followed the same route. It came under NDLEA’s intelligence tracking on Oct. 8 when the consignments were delivered to the shipper in Toronto, Canada.
“It was loaded on the rail on Oct. 14 and arrived Montreal the following day, Oct. 15, after which they were loaded on a vessel to Europe on October 20
“After arrival and trans-shipment at Antwerp in Belgium on Nov. 6 and Nov. 17 respectively, the consignments were tracked down until they arrived and were discharged from the vessel at Lagos port on Dec. 6 before being moved to the terminal on Dec. 10,” he said.
