from OKORO CHINEDU in Lagos, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
LAGOS, (CAJ News) – NIGERIAN authorities have busted plans by syndicates to export illegal drugs to the United Kingdom and the United States.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted the consignment at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, which would have been smuggled in by a courier firm in the commercial hub of Lagos.
The illegal substances intended for export were concealed in tins of baby food and clothes, recently.
At least two individuals have been arrested.
Some 36 parcels of a strain of cannabis concealed in six cartons of tins of branded baby food, with six containers in each package, were recovered at the export shed of Lagos airport.
The psychotropic substance had a total weight of 18,5kgs, according to NDLEA.
A freight agent, Salaudeen Suliat Abiola, who allegedly presented the consignment for export to the UK, has been arrested. A follow up operation to Ibadan, Oyo State this past weekend led to the arrest of the alleged sender of the cargo, Bello Motunrayo.
In another incident, NDLEA operatives in Lagos interrupted five different shipments of opioids and other psychoactive substances, such as promethazine, pentazocine, diazepam, tramadol, and morphine concealed in cloths and other items meant for export to the US and UK.
One of the shipments containing 820grams of promethazine and pentazocine injections was intended for the US.
The remaining four parcels consisting of over 2kg of opioids such as tramadol, molly and psychoactive substances were reportedly heading to the UK.
They have been intercepted at a logistics company in Lagos.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, lauded the officers for thwarting the illicit export attempts.
– CAJ News