Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has seized more than 1.3 million opioid pills and capsules and about 6,000 kilograms of cannabis in a series of operations across several states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The agency said the seizures, carried out in Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and Abuja, have a combined estimated street value of more than 3.4 billion naira, according to a statement issued Sunday.
One of the largest seizures involved 603.75 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, intercepted at Lagos’ Tin Can Island Port. NDLEA said the drugs were concealed in 31 large bags inside two Toyota Sienna vehicles shipped from Montreal, Canada. The consignment was discovered during a joint inspection with customs and other security agencies.
In Delta State, officers arrested a 49-year-old man who allegedly posed as a senior police officer to avoid checks while transporting drugs. NDLEA said 292 kilograms of cannabis were found in his vehicle. A second suspect was also arrested.
Authorities also reported the arrest of a mechanic in Benin City, Edo State, who allegedly used his auto-repair workshop to store drugs. Officers said they recovered 48 kilograms of Canadian Loud and methamphetamine from the premises.
In Niger State, three young men were arrested along the Abuja-Kaduna highway with two locally made AK-47-style rifles, a pistol and ammunition, according to the agency. Separately, NDLEA officers on the Abaji-Abuja highway seized more than 1.1 million tramadol tablets and capsules, along with codeine syrup, methamphetamine and other pharmaceutical drugs.
Other operations targeted drug trafficking in Lagos, Gombe, Imo and Ondo. In Lagos, officers seized nearly 49,000 tramadol pills and 59 kilograms of cannabis, while another operation recovered almost 1,000 kilograms of nitrous oxide. In Gombe, more than 154,000 tramadol capsules were seized. In Ondo State, authorities said they destroyed about 5,000 kilograms of cannabis at a two-hectare farm and arrested four suspects.
