Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a large consignment of Loud, a synthetic strong strain of cannabis, concealed in giant loudspeakers tucked in a consolidated cargo imported from New York, United States of America.

This was disclosed in a statement released by director, Media & Advocacy of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi in Abuja on Sunday 18th February 2024.

According to the statement, when the giant wooden boxes dressed as sound speakers seized by NDLEA officers at the NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport, were opened, the sound boxes were stuffed with sixty (60) bags of the expensive but highly sought-after psychoactive substance, Loud, weighing 33.5 kilograms.

At least, three suspects: a freight agent Akeem Afeez; logistics company manager Babalola Ayodeji Gboyega and the receiver of the consignment Taiwo Olusegun Anuoluwapo have been arrested in follow-up operations between Thursday 15th and Friday 16th February 2024.

While Afeez was arrested at the airport, Gboyega was nabbed at his office on Allen Avenue Ikeja and Taiwo traced to his residence at 13 Ayo Babatunde Crescent, Lekki Phase1, Lagos, where he was picked on Friday.

In Abia, a joint raid operation between the NDLEA and men of the State Homeland Security at 23 Arochukwu street, Umuahia around 11pm on Wednesday 14th February led to the arrest of a female lawyer, Adaobi Nweke, 36; her boyfriend, Emeka Nkemefola, 36; her mother, Mrs. Ngozi Nweke, 65; Dike Okpara, 43, who is herbalist to the family; Chukwudi Abel, 33, member of the family; Amarachi Paul, 18, another member of the family and their 22-year-old salesgirl, Blessing Jonathan.

Investigations reveal that members of the family had long been in the illicit drug business passed on to them by their now late father, Jonathan Nweke. Recovered from them as at the time of their arrest include various quantities of Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, Loud, Cannabis Sativa and precursor chemical with a total weight of 1.670kg as well as N578,400 monetary exhibit.

Attempt by a 25-year-old Uber driver, Joshua Henry to deliver a consignment of 26.2grams of Loud picked in Abuja to a customer in Keffi, Nasarawa state on Monday 12th February was thwarted by NDLEA operatives who intercepted him.

In the same vein, 54-year-old Dada Adedara was on Wednesday 14th Feb arrested at Dan Bare area of Kano State with 468 blocks of cannabis weighing 246.4kg. Same day, operatives in Ogun state arrested the duo of Kafayat Junaid and Sakirat Osoanu with 13kg cannabis sativa.

In Kogi state, a suspect, Charles Chike, 45, was arrested by NDLEA operatives in a hotel in Lokoja on Friday 16th Feb. with 290 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 116kg. The exhibit was concealed in the boot of a blue Honda Accord car marked Abuja ABC 853 SL, which took off from Ekiti state enroute Abuja. Not less than 227kg of same substance was recovered from Atoshi camp, Emure -Ile, Owo LGA, Ondo State, while two suspects: John Jonathan and Emmanuel Alex were arrested.

Operatives in Edo state acting on intelligence on Wednesday 14th Feb. intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Lagos, in a Toyota Sienna bus marked Anambra NZM 347 ZL. The meth consignment weighing 0.966kg was concealed inside a cassava made local food item, African salad popularly called “Abacha”. The driver of the vehicle, Afamefuna Ibeawuchi Kingsley, 42, was arrested in connection with the seizure.

On the same day, a team of NDLEA officers also intercepted a Peugeot 406 space wagon car driven by Akhere Fardam, 47, along Uromi road in Esan Northeast LGA. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 865 bottles of codeine; 2,600 pills of tramadol and 600 tabs of swinol and rohypnol.

In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives conducted raid operations in Kubwa area of the FCT during which they arrested Tawa Wasiu, 47, and Iliya Ibrahim, 18, with 10.5kg cannabis, 13.5 grams of diazepam and 2.9 grams of tramadol tablets. Another suspect, Yaro Bala, 27, was arrested on Thursday 15th Feb. with 50.5kg cannabis during a stop and search operation along Abaji/Abuja highway on his way from Auchi Edo state to Paiko, Niger State.

With the same vigour, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and teachers of St. Theresa’s College Oke-Ado, Ibadan, Oyo state; students and staff of Banma Girls Day Secondary School, Bida, Niger state; students of Dame High School, Abatete, Anambra state; students of Government Day Secondary School, Tudun Saibu, Soba LGA, Kaduna state; students of Community Comprehensive Secondary School, Obinagu, Udi LGA, Enugu state and students of Government Girls Secondary School, Garo, Kano state.

While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Abia, Nasarawa, Edo, Kogi, Kano, Ogun, Ondo and FCT Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures thus creating a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.