Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted two boats carrying 1,960 kilograms of cannabis, known as “Ghanaian Loud,” at Eleko Beach in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria, during a midnight operation on Christmas Eve. Six foreign nationals involved in smuggling the drugs from Ghana via waterways were arrested.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the arrests in a statement released Sunday. Among the suspects are two Ghanaians, Godsway John (38) and Freedom Kelvin (33), as well as four Beninese nationals: Chegoun Hounsou (23), Gadabor Nyameto (47), Adantg Sasa (34), and Ayao Kayivi (21).
“Operatives of the Marine Command of NDLEA at 2:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, 24th December, intercepted two boats loaded with 1,960 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, at Eleko Beach in the Lekki area of Lagos,” Babafemi said.
In another operation, a 48-year-old businessman, Orizu Arthur, was arrested at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on December 22 while attempting to board an Air France flight to Paris. Orizu was flagged during passenger clearance after refusing a body scan on medical grounds.
Babafemi revealed that Orizu excreted 74 wraps of Class A drugs over seven days in custody. The suspect, who owns a shop at Balogun Market in Lagos, claimed he was promised €3,000 for delivering the drugs in Paris.
In Katsina, two suspects were arrested in separate operations for possession of compressed cannabis sativa. On Christmas Day, 35-year-old Ibrahim Shaibu was caught with 40 album-size parcels of cannabis weighing 35kg at Central Motor Park, Katsina. Another suspect, Umar Ahmed (47), was arrested along the Zaria-Malumfashi road with 27 parcels weighing 13.5kg on December 28.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a location in Benin City on December 23, leading to the arrest of 21-year-old Kosisochukwu Ozigbo. Recovered items included 32,490 tramadol pills of varying strengths, 936 bottles of codeine-based syrup, and other opioids.
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