The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a Saudi Arabia-bound consignment of skunk at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano State.
The agency announced this in a statement by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the drugs which were concealed in a gallon of palm oil was intercepted on Friday, Oct. 16 during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa.
He added that a female passenger was arrested with the gallon of palm oil containing parcels of cannabis, weighing 511.75 grams.
“The suspect told the operatives the gallon was given to her by her cousin who was promptly arrested at the airport car park,”he said.
“Meanwhile, following a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service, and other agencies at the APM terminals in Apapa, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Oct. 2 uncovered a large shipment of powdered tramadol from India, declared as maize starch.”
Babafemi said that a confirmatory test at the NDLEA forensic laboratory showed the cargo to be tramadol hydrochloride powder.
“When it was separated from its concealment on Wednesday, October, 14, it came to 349 bags with a gross weight of 8,725kg, worth over N6.98 billion,”he said.
“In a separate operation at the Tincan port in Lagos on Monday, October 12, NDLEA officers in the course of a joint examination of a container with Customs and others, discovered 55kg of Canadian Loud worth N165 million.”
Babafemi said that the drugs were packed in brown cartons and hidden inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle conveyed in the 40-foot container.
He further disclosed that, in a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided Idumota Market on Wednesday, Oct. 14, arrested a woman and recovered 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from her store.
“The following day, Thursday, October 15, two 35-year-old men were arrested in the Mushin area of the state: with 59.95kg of skunk, and 61.23kg of same substance respectively.
“In another interdiction operation in Lagos, operatives acting on credible intelligence on Thursday, October 15 intercepted a truck coming from Trade Fair market with illicit drug consignments along Iyana Oba,”he said.
Babafemi said two suspects, the loading manager and his assistant, were arrested, adding that a search of the truck led to the recovery of 18,000 pills of 250mg tramadol concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide.
