NDLEA Seizes Massive Skunk Shipment, Intercepts Australia-Bound Cocaine in Midnight Raids

NDLEA Seizes Massive Skunk Shipment, Intercepts Australia-Bound Cocaine in Midnight Raids

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a 40-foot trailer loaded with 2,217.6 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, during a midnight operation in Kagini, Kubwa, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The operation, conducted at 1:20 am on Saturday, January 11, 2025, targeted an abandoned fuel station where the drugs were being distributed into six vehicles for onward transportation to Northern states. NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed the seizure of the trailer, six vehicles, and the arrest of a suspect, 42-year-old Isaac Monday Desmond. The consignment was reportedly loaded in Uzebba, Edo State.

In another FCT operation, two suspects, Anthony Nnamdi (42) and Abba Ali (27), were arrested in Nyanya with 1.398 kilograms of cocaine and precursor substances used for producing crack cocaine.

The NDLEA also uncovered 20 wraps of cocaine weighing 330 grams concealed in face cream bottles intended for shipment to Australia at a logistics firm in Lagos.

Further, in a joint operation at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, operatives intercepted 338,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over ₦1.19 billion. The illicit cargo was identified through processed intelligence.

Other notable arrests included:

– Bariu Aliu, a traditional chief priest and suspected drug syndicate leader, apprehended after a three-month manhunt following the discovery of 2,760 kilograms of skunk at his shrine in Lekki, Lagos, last October.

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– Habibu Ya’u (23), arrested in Kano with 45 blocks of cannabis weighing 24.2 kilograms and 40,800 pills of opioids.

Meanwhile, NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy continued nationwide, with sensitization programs held in schools, mosques, and communities.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the agency’s officers for their dedication to reducing drug supply and demand, emphasizing their critical role in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.