The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives from different special units have intercepted large consignment of Cocaine and Colorado (strong strain of cannabis), imported from Durban, South Africa and Canada at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
This disclosure is contained in a statement issued by NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in Abuja on Sunday, January 21, 2024, where he stated that the drugs were concealed in 2 containers of household items.
Babafemi explained that the interception followed coordinated intelligence gathering and months of tracking of the containers by 3 special units of the NDLEA, adding that the illicit drugs were seized alongside arms, ammunition, sundry military effects and chemicals in kegs.
916.5kg of cocaine and Colorado, ammunitions intercepted
The NDLEA Spokesman listed some of the items recovered from the containers to include: 1, 274 parcels of Cocaine and Colorado with a total weight of 884.09 kilograms, in addition to different rounds of ammunitions.
He noted that with the exception of 32.5kg shipment of Colorado that came in used vehicles from Canada, the rest of the items were found in 2 of 3 containers that arrived the Tincan port from Durban, South Africa onboard a vessel.
- Babafemi said, ‘’Operatives of different special units of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted large consignments of Cocaine and Colorado, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in containerized household items and vehicles imported from Durban, South Africa and Canada at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos.
- ‘’Following coordinated intelligence and months of tracking of the containers by three special units of NDLEA, the illicit drugs along with arms, ammunition and sundry military effects were seized during joint examination of the three containers by the Agency’s officers and their counterparts from Customs Service and other security agencies between Thursday 18th and Friday 19th January 2024. Some of the Agency’s sniffer dogs were also deployed to help identify locations and bags used in concealing the illicit items.
- ‘’Some of the items recovered from the containers include: 1, 274 parcels of Cocaine and Colorado with a total weight of 884.09 kilograms; four pistols; 197 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 49 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 275 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, 14 rounds of 9mm ammunition and sundry military personnel effects as well as some chemicals in kegs. With the exception of 32.5kg shipment of Colorado that came in used vehicles from Canada, the rest of the items were found in two of three containers that arrived the Tincan port from Durban, South Africa onboard a vessel marked MSC RESILIENT III and discharged on New Year eve, 31st December 2023.
- ‘’A suspect linked to one of the containers, UACU 5348336, bearing the 32.5kg Colorado, 41-year-old Akara Chibugo has already been tracked and arrested by NDLEA operatives.’’
