NDLEA Intercepts Drug Consignments in Baby Food Tins, Cloths Going to US, UK

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Multiple consignments of illicit drugs concealed in tins of baby food cans and cloths going to the United States and United Kingdom have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, and a courier firm in Lagos.
A press statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, said no less than 36 parcels of a strong strain of cannabis concealed in six cartons of tins of baby food, with six containers in each package were recovered at the SAHCOL export shed of Lagos Airport last Wednesday, noting that the psychotropic substance has a total weight of 18.5 kilogrammes.

He said that a freight agent, Salaudeen Abiola who presented the consignment for export to the UK was promptly arrested while a follow up operation to Ibadan, Oyo State on Saturday led to the arrest of the sender of the cargo, Bello Folu at her No. 20 Mofoluwasho Estate, Elewuro, Akobo area of the Oyo State capital.
He added that the food tins were all factory-sealed at the top while they tampered with the bottom through which they put the substances covered with loose quantities of the infant cereal meal to prevent discovery, an effort that ended in futility as vigilant NDLEA officers were able to foil the attempt.

He said in the same vein, five different shipments of opioids and other psychoactive substances, such as promethazine, pentazocine, diazepam, tramadol, and morphine concealed in cloths and other items meant for export to the US and UK were equally intercepted by NDLEA operatives in Lagos.
While one of the shipments containing 820 grammes of promethazine and pentazocine injections was going to the United States, the remaining four parcels consisting of over two kilogrammes of opioids such as tramadol 225mg, molly and NPS were heading to the United Kingdom. They were all intercepted last Monday at a logistics company in Lagos.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan port in Lagos last Friday recovered 77 packages of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis from the body compartments of four vehicles: Toyota Highlander, Ford Explorer, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Sienna imported from Canada during a joint examination of some containers with men of the Customs Service and other stakeholders.

The seized consignments have a total weight of 38.5 kilogrammes while two suspects: Salami Sunday, 34 and Lekan Atoyebi, 33, assigned to clear the shipments have been taken into custody, while Isiagu Sunday was arrested in Mushin Ojuwoye Lagos last Thursday with 1,740 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 174 litres and 1,070 tablets of Molly weighing 600grams, no less than 50 bags of cannabis with a gross weight of 520 kilogrammes were recovered in the bush at Isuada, Owo Council Area of Ondo State.

Five suspects were also arrested at Itaogbolu Forest, Akure North Local Government Area of the state. The suspects nabbed in connection with the seizure of 42 kilogrammes of same psychoactive substance include: Jimoh Omotosho, 63; Donald Obi, 62; Emmanuel Patrick, 21; Kayode Oluwaseun, 39; and John Nsikan, 34.

In Edo State, twenty-two and a half bags of cannabis weighing 220 kilogrammes were recovered from Egbeta community, Ovia North East area of Edo state last Tuesday while a suspect, Osayede Aghoma was arrested.

Another suspect, Ibrahim Abubakar, 55, was last Wednesday nabbed with 40 blocks of same substance weighing 19.2 kilogrammes along Okene-Lokoja highway in a commercial bus coming from Lagos enroute Kano.

He noted with the same drive, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Kogi, Edo, Ondo, Lagos, and Tincan, Commands as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitization activities while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to maintain the zeal and tempo.