The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted multi-billion-naira worth of methamphetamine and “Loud” shipments concealed in automobile spare parts imported from Canada at the Tincan seaport in Lagos
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the drugs were intended for distribution during the Christmas and New Year festive season
He revealed that the shipments were seized following months of intelligence-driven tracking of the cargo across three continents.
“Multi-billion-naira worth of shipments of methamphetamine and Loud, a strong synthetic strain of cannabis intended for distribution during the Christmas and New Year festive season, concealed in automobile spare parts imported from Canada, have been intercepted by operatives of the NDLEA at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos after months of intelligence-driven tracking of the cargo across three continents,” the statement read.
Babafemi added that this is the first time the agency would recover two consignments of methamphetamine weighing 83.301 kilograms.
He said that the shipments were destined for warehouses in the Ladipo automobile parts market in the Mushin area of Lagos, stressing that two businessmen, Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
“The other container bearing automobile spare parts checked on Friday 13th December was found to contain 1, 735 parcels of Loud packed in 44 jumbo bags with a total weight of 867.5kg and six plastic coolers containing 87 packs of methamphetamine weighing 78.3kg. At least, two businessmen: Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe have been arrested in connection with the seizure.
“The two meth consignments have a combined weight of 83.301kg worth One Hundred and Twenty-Four Million Nine Hundred and Fifty-One Thousand Naira (124,951,000.00) while the 867.5kg Loud is worth Two Billion One Hundred and Sixty-Eight Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N2,168,750,000.00) in street value.
“The seizures were made during a joint examination of the shipments with Customs and other port stakeholders. This followed months of intelligence processing and tracking of the consignments from their ports of loading in Canada to the landing port in Lagos 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 4th October 2024 when the preparation for the shipment began in Toronto, Canada, monitored through 8th October 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 9th October.
“The consignment was further monitored till it was loaded on a vessel on 19th October through when the vessel arrived and discharged at Antwerp in Belgium on 30th October after which the consignment was trans-shipped and loaded on 14th November before arriving in Lagos port on 1st December and released to a bonded terminal two days after.”
