Multi-billion-naira shipments of methamphetamine and Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis meant for distribution during the Christmas and New Year festive season, were intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos. The contraband, concealed in automobile spare parts imported from Canada, was tracked through an intelligence-driven operation spanning three continents.

For the first time in NDLEA’s history, two consignments of methamphetamine weighing 83.301 kilograms were recovered on Thursday, December 12, and Friday, December 13, 2024. The illicit substances were hidden in separate containers containing vehicles and spare parts bound for warehouses in the Ladipo automobile parts market in the Mushin area of Lagos.

During the examination of a container at the Sifax Bonded Terminal on December 12, operatives discovered 5.001 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in a bag wrapped in a bedsheet, hidden inside a Toyota Camry. A businessman, Isaac Onwumere, linked to the consignment, was promptly arrested.

On December 13, another container was examined, revealing 1,735 parcels of Loud packed in 44 jumbo bags weighing 867.5 kilograms, alongside six plastic coolers containing 87 packs of methamphetamine weighing 78.3 kilograms. Two businessmen, Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe, were arrested in connection with the seizure.

The combined weight of the two methamphetamine consignments, 83.301 kilograms, is valued at N124,951,000, while the 867.5 kilograms of Loud have a street value of N2,168,750,000.

These seizures were made during joint examinations conducted with the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders at the port. The operation followed months of intelligence processing and meticulous tracking of the consignments from their ports of loading in Canada to their arrival in Lagos by NDLEA’s Special Operations Units and the Tincan Port Strategic Command.

The first container carrying 5.001 kilograms of methamphetamine came under NDLEA surveillance on October 4, 2024, when the shipment preparations began in Toronto, Canada. It was monitored as it moved by rail to Montreal, Canada, before being loaded on a vessel to Antwerp, Belgium, where it was trans-shipped on November 14 and arrived in Lagos on December 1. The consignment was moved to the bonded terminal on December 3.

The second shipment, containing 867.5 kilograms of Loud and 78.3 kilograms of methamphetamine, followed a similar route. It was tracked from Toronto on October 8, loaded on a vessel to Antwerp on October 20, and trans-shipped on November 17 before arriving in Lagos on December 6 and being moved to the terminal on December 10.

At the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, NDLEA officers intercepted 636,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup, worth N4,456,200,000, in shipments from India on December 9, 11, and 13. The seizures were made during joint examinations of four containers by NDLEA officers, Customs personnel, and other security agencies following credible intelligence.

In addition to these operations, NDLEA Commands nationwide intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities. Outreach programs were held in institutions such as City Comprehensive College, Ogidi, Anambra; Government Secondary School, Toungo, Adamawa; Bonny Camp Primary School, Victoria Island, Lagos; Government Junior Secondary School, Yarganji, Kano; and Tapa community in Oyo State.

Commending the officers and men of the Special Operations Units and the Tincan and Onne Commands for their efforts, NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) affirmed the Agency's capability to track and intercept drug shipments before they reach Nigeria. He warned drug barons and cartels that their criminal enterprises would continue to suffer heavy losses unless they abandon the illicit trade.