By Nosa Aituamen
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 66 parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.
The illicit substance, weighing 62.20kg, was cleverly disguised as green tea and arrived from Thailand via the UAE on an Emirates Airlines flight.
According to NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi in a statement, the sophisticated seizure at the import shed on Thursday, June 5, 2025, followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance.
The consignment, he says, had been watch-listed since its arrival at the airport’s cargo wing on May 11, with operatives maintaining a close watch for over three weeks before conducting a joint examination with other stakeholders.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Monday, June 2, successfully intercepted a massive 1,665kg consignment of skunk, another strain of cannabis, along the Lekki-Ajah expressway.
Two suspects, Gidado Abdulrasaq Ayinde and Obanla Oluwafemi, were promptly apprehended in connection with this substantial seizure.
Explaining further, Mr. Babafemi stated that, the operations yielded more arrests and drug recoveries across the country.
In Kaduna, the state command’s operatives, while on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway on Tuesday, June 3, arrested 29-year-old Goodluck Nnaemeka. He was found in possession of 612 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 2,970 pills of flunitrazepam.
On the same day, authorities in Kaduna also apprehended 52-year-old Kabiru Musa, also known as “KB,” a wanted drug dealer, at Kurmin Mashi. A total of 25.7kg of skunk had previously been recovered from his base.
In Edo State, along the Auchi road, NDLEA operatives recovered 9kg of Loud from the spare tyre compartment of an Audi station wagon, driven by 45-year-old Atari Israel. Additionally, on Tuesday, June 3, two young women, Favour Joy and Joy Igwe, were arrested at the Ikpoba Hill area of Benin City.
From their possession, authorities recovered a significant haul including 106.57kg of skunk, 1kg of Loud, 800 grams of Colorado, and 302 grams of methamphetamine.