NDLEA Seizes N4.4bn Synthetic Cannabis At Lagos Ports In First Thailand Maritime Interception

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted consignments of synthetic cannabis with an estimated street value of more than N4.4 billion at the Apapa and Lekki ports in Lagos State.

The agency said the seizures marked its first-ever interception of illicit drugs shipped from Thailand through Nigeria’s maritime corridor, raising concerns over the emergence of a new route allegedly being exploited by drug trafficking syndicates.

According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the two consignments were loaded at the Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand and intercepted during separate joint examinations at the Lagos ports. At Apapa Port, officers discovered 1,090.5kg of “Thai Loud” concealed in a container declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap and inverter batteries.

The consignment was found on Friday, August 21, during an examination involving NDLEA operatives, Customs officials and other agencies. The drugs were reportedly packed in 54 cartons containing 2,181 sachets, each weighing 500 grammes.

At the Lekki Deep Sea Port, another container placed on the NDLEA watchlist was examined on August 19 following intelligence gathered by the agency’s Marine Special Operations Unit. Seven pallets wrapped in black nylon were discovered, with four containing 96 cartons of Thai Loud weighing a combined 400kg. The remaining pallets contained 798 rims of A4 paper, which the agency said had been used to conceal the drugs.

Beyond the Lagos port seizures, the NDLEA reported several other operations across the country. In Akwa Ibom, operatives intercepted a wooden boat allegedly transporting narcotics towards fishing settlements in Cameroon and arrested three suspects, recovering 42.622kg of narcotics, including skunk and cocaine.

In Ondo State, the agency destroyed 10,000kg of skunk cultivated across four hectares of cannabis farm in Ijare forest and recovered another 210kg in Ita-Ogbolu. Other seizures were reported in Kwara, Oyo, Kano, Abia, Lagos, Abuja and Niger State, involving substances including methamphetamine, tramadol, codeine, diazepam, cocaine and various forms of cannabis.

The agency also reported the arrest of three members of a family near the Seme border in Lagos, where 48kg of skunk was recovered, while 24,410 tramadol capsules were intercepted in Abuja in packages concealed inside a Hummer bus travelling from Enugu to Zuba.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and directed them to sustain efforts against drug trafficking.

Marwa also directed that a 101-year-old woman arrested in Ogun State for allegedly selling cannabis be granted bail and placed on counselling, citing her advanced age. Her daughter was reportedly arrested in connection with the alleged drug activity.