Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 4,143.5 kilograms of suspected Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, with an estimated street value of more than N10.3 billion at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos.
The agency also said it thwarted an attempt to export 2.5 kilograms of skunk concealed inside a gas compressor to Cyprus through a courier company in Lagos.
According to the NDLEA, the illicit consignment was uncovered during a joint examination of a container imported from Canada by its operatives, officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on Friday.
The agency said the seizure comprised 8,287 nylon bags of the suspected cannabis concealed in the container.
It explained that the operation followed weeks of intelligence-led tracking and surveillance of the shipment from Montreal, Canada, by operatives of its Maritime Intelligence Unit in collaboration with the Apapa Strategic Command.
In a separate operation, the agency said operatives of its Directorate of Operations and General Investigation intercepted 2.5kg of skunk hidden inside a gas compressor meant for export to Cyprus through a courier company in Lagos.
NDLEA said investigations into both cases were ongoing to identify and apprehend those behind the consignments.
The agency added that its commands and formations across the country sustained the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities.
According to the agency, the awareness campaign was held at Nnodo Secondary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Government Girls Secondary School, Sabon Gida, Sharada, Kano; Royal Jesuit College, Agbado Ekiti; and Community Secondary School, Idofa, Ogun State.
It added that the leadership of its Zone 14 Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Maritime Intelligence Unit and Apapa commands for the seizures.
Marwa urged the officers to sustain the momentum in reducing the supply of illicit drugs while intensifying public enlightenment under the WADA campaign.
