NDLEA reports over ₦5bn cannabis, codeine seizures at Lagos, Rivers ports
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it intercepted cannabis and codeine-based cough syrup consignments with a combined stated street value of more than ₦5 billion in separate operations at ports in Lagos and Rivers states.
The seizures were recorded at Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos and Onne Port in Rivers State, according to a statement issued by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi.
The agency said the operations followed intelligence gathering and tracking of selected shipments, with examinations carried out jointly with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
Apapa seizure
At Apapa Port, NDLEA said officers acting on intelligence examined two containers shipped from Bangkok, Thailand.
According to the agency, one of the containers contained 161 parcels of what it described as Thai Loud, weighing 124 kilograms.
NDLEA put the stated street value of the consignment at ₦372 million and said the parcels were concealed inside refrigerators and cartons.
The drug description, weight and valuation remain NDLEA’s official account of the seizure.
Codeine, cannabis recovered at Onne
At Onne Port in Rivers State, NDLEA said two containers placed on its watchlist were jointly examined with Customs and other security agencies.
The agency said officers recovered 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg from a travelling bag and vehicles shipped in one of the containers.
A second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg, according to NDLEA.
The agency placed the combined stated street value of the Onne cannabis and codeine consignments at ₦833.2 million.
NDLEA also said the container carrying the codeine syrup had travelled from India through Saudi Arabia before being shipped onward.
Tin Can seizure carries largest stated value
At Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA said officers jointly examined a watch-listed container shipped from Montreal, Canada.
The agency reported finding 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg.
According to NDLEA, the cannabis was concealed inside a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra alongside other items in the container.
The agency valued the Tin Can consignment at more than ₦3.8 billion.
Taken together with the Apapa and Onne seizures, NDLEA placed the combined stated street value of the intercepted cannabis and codeine consignments above ₦5 billion.
NDLEA alleges arrested man owned Tin Can consignment
NDLEA said a follow-up operation led to the arrest of 29-year-old Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma in the Utako area of Abuja.
The agency alleges that Uzoma owned the Tin Can consignment.
That allegation has not been established by a court.
His arrest does not amount to a conviction, and he should not be described as a trafficker or as criminally responsible for the consignment unless that is established through due process.
Port-control questions
The seizures highlight the role of intelligence sharing and joint container examinations in detecting illicit consignments entering Nigerian ports.
They also raise questions about how watch-listed shipments move through international shipping chains and what controls exist at ports of origin, transit and destination.
NDLEA said the seizures followed months of intelligence gathering and tracking.
The agency has made a specific ownership allegation in relation to the Tin Can shipment, but that allegation remains subject to investigation and legal process.
For now, what is established is NDLEA’s account that cannabis and codeine consignments with a combined stated street value exceeding ₦5 billion were intercepted at three seaports, and that the agency arrested one man it alleges owned the Tin Can consignment.
What remains to be established through investigation and due process is the full ownership and control of the shipments, the roles of any other individuals or companies, and whether charges or convictions follow.
