The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 70-year-old grandfather, Muhammadu Ibrahim, with 57.2kg of cannabis in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The agency also made other arrests in its ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking in Nigeria.
On Sunday, the agency announced the interception of codeine-based syrup and ‘Loud’, a potent synthetic cannabis strain, valued at over N2.1 billion at the Port Harcourt seaports and Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
In a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA revealed a series of successful operations.
According to the statement, operatives, in collaboration with other security agencies, intercepted a consignment of Loud packed in eight suitcases containing 320 parcels with a total weight of 164.50kg at the Lagos airport.
The strong psychoactive substance, worth an estimated N960 million, was brought in from Canada on a KLM flight via Amsterdam. The suspect, Ughenu Nnaife Francis, claimed he was recruited to transport the drugs for a fee of N6 million.
Babafemi also stated that NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex seized a container from India containing 1,750 cartons of codeine syrup, weighing 26,250kg and valued at N1.225 billion. The container, destined for Enugu, was discovered during a joint examination by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies.
“In the same vein, operatives in Nasarawa state on Wednesday 29th May nabbed a 70-year-old grandfather, Muhammadu Ibrahim, with 57.2kg cannabis in Lafia, the state capital.
“Two suspects: Suleiman Kazeem, 35, and Sunday Gbenga, 20, were arrested when NDLEA officers raided Ara forest, Ara-Ekiti in Ekiti state where they recovered 426 kilograms of cannabis sativa already processed and packed in big sacks, while they destroyed over 4,000kg of same substance on 1.66 hectares of farmland on Thursday 30th May.
“In Katsina state,76 blocks of cannabis weighing 42kg were seized from a Nigerien, Suleman Audu, 29, when he was arrested by NDLEA officers along Zaria – Malumfashi road on Wednesday 29th May,” the statement said.
NDLEA arrests 70-year-old grandfather for drug trafficking [Photos]