Operatives from various specialized units of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have successfully intercepted significant shipments of Cocaine and Colorado, a potent strain of cannabis. These illicit substances were concealed within household items and vehicles imported from Durban, South Africa, and Canada at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos.
In a statement released by Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for NDLEA, it was revealed that coordinated intelligence and months of tracking led to the interception of the drugs, along with arms, ammunition, and various military effects. Joint examinations of the three containers, conducted by NDLEA officers, Customs Service officials, and other security agencies between Thursday, January 18, and Friday, January 19, 2024, resulted in the seizure.
The items recovered from the containers included 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, as well as sundry military personnel effects and chemicals in kegs. Except for a 32.5kg shipment of Colorado that arrived in used vehicles from Canada, the rest of the items were found in two of the three containers that arrived at the Tincan port from Durban, South Africa, aboard a vessel marked MSC RESILIENT III, and were discharged on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2023. A suspect linked to one of the containers, UACU 5348336, bearing the 32.5kg Colorado, 41-year-old Akara Chibugo, has been tracked and arrested by NDLEA operatives.
Additionally, two vigilant freight agents and a traveler avoided involvement in two drug trafficking operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos. These agents were approached to send a consignment of 1kg of cannabis concealed in tins of Milo beverage to Turkey but opted to subject the shipment to NDLEA checks before processing the cargo. The psychoactive substance was subsequently discovered hidden inside the shipment.
