NDLEA intercepts N3.3billion Meth, Loud shipments in auto parts from Canada

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced that its operatives have intercepted shipments of methamphetamine and Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, worth billions of naira.

The drugs were concealed in automobile spare parts imported from Canada and seized at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos.

The NDLEA stated that the seizure of these illicit drugs, intended for distribution during the Christmas and New Year festive season, followed months of intelligence-driven tracking across three continents.

This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja. Babafemi revealed that two consignments of methamphetamine, weighing a total of 83.301 kilograms, were recovered on Thursday, 12th December, and Friday, 13th December 2024, from separate containers carrying vehicles and spare parts shipped from Canada.

These consignments were headed for warehouses in the Ladipo automobile parts market in the Mushin area of Lagos. This marks a first in the history of NDLEA’s anti-narcotic operations.

“One of the containers destined for Ladipo Market via the Sifax bonded terminal was examined on Thursday, 12th December. During the inspection, 5.001 kilograms of methamphetamine were discovered hidden in a bag wrapped in a bedsheet within a Toyota Camry. A businessman, Isaac Onwumere, linked to the consignment, was promptly arrested,” Babafemi stated.

“The second container, which was inspected on Friday, 13th December, was found to contain 1,735 parcels of Loud packed in 44 jumbo bags, weighing a total of 867.5 kilograms, alongside six plastic coolers containing 87 packs of methamphetamine with a combined weight of 78.3 kilograms. Two businessmen, Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe, have been arrested in connection with this seizure.

“The two methamphetamine consignments, weighing 83.301 kilograms, are valued at ₦124,951,000, while the 867.5 kilograms of Loud have a street value of ₦2,168,750,000.”

The seizures were made during a joint examination of the shipments by NDLEA operatives, Customs officers, and other port stakeholders. These operations followed months of intelligence processing and tracking of the consignments from their point of origin in Canada to their arrival at the Lagos port.

“The first container, containing 5.001 kilograms of methamphetamine, came under NDLEA surveillance on 4th October 2024 when preparations for the shipment began in Toronto, Canada. The consignment was monitored through its journey, including its loading onto a vessel on 19th October, its arrival and discharge at Antwerp, Belgium, on 30th October, and its transshipment to Lagos, where it arrived on 1st December and was moved to a bonded terminal on 3rd December,” Babafemi explained.

“The second shipment, containing 867.5 kilograms of Loud and 78.3 kilograms of methamphetamine, followed a similar route. It was first flagged on 8th October 2024 in Toronto, Canada, and tracked through Montreal, Europe, and Lagos, arriving at the port on 6th December before being transferred to a terminal on 10th December.”

Meanwhile, the NDLEA also reported the interception of 636,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth ₦4,456,200,000 in street value. These shipments, originating from India, were seized on Monday, 9th December; Wednesday, 11th December; and Friday, 13th December 2024 at the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers State.

Babafemi noted that these seizures were made during joint examinations of four containers by NDLEA operatives, Customs officials, and other security agencies, based on credible intelligence.

Reacting to these developments, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the Special Operations Units at the Tincan and Onne Commands for their efforts.

Marwa stated that these operational successes demonstrate the Agency’s capacity and intelligence network to track drug barons and their consignments even before they reach Nigeria.

He warned that drug traffickers would continue to incur significant losses if they do not abandon their illicit trade.