Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have seized 12,385 kilogrammes of loud cannabis, a strong variant of the illicit weed imported from a neighbouring country and smuggled into Lagos through the waterways.

The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, said the agency got a tip-off that 12,385 pellets of the drug were brought in from a West African country through the ocean and ferried with boats to the Eko Atlantic Beach, Victoria Island, from where they would be distributed to drug hotspots across Lagos and other states.

He said based on the intelligence, over 50 narcotic officers stormed the beach on Saturday, November 27, 2021, recovered the consignments along with two long trucks and a Toyota Sienna and arrested three suspects.

Babafemi, in a statement, identified the suspects as Abdulkadri Zakari, 24; Ka’abu Sausu, 45; and Lawrence Adie, 27.

“In the same vein, a 70-year-old woman, Mrs Beatrice Aigbedion, was among suspects arrested in parts of Edo State in connection with the seizure of over 5,000kg of assorted illicit drugs across the state.

“After days of surveillance, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, November 24, stormed a warehouse at Uhiere, in the Ovia North East Local Government Area of the state, where they recovered a total of 4,261.5kg of cannabis sativa and a suspect, Ikong Stanley, arrested.

“The previous day, Tuesday, November 23, 1,240kg was equally seized at a warehouse in Uzebba, Owan West LGA of the state.

“At the point of her arrest in Irrua last Wednesday, 70-year-old Mrs Aigbedion was caught with different quantities of codeine cough syrup, swinol and Rohypnol, while another dealer, Joseph Onyemaechi, 50, was also nabbed at Ikpoba Okha, Upper Sakponba, Benin City, on Friday, with different types of psychotropic substances weighing 2.055kg.

Read Also FG bans 91 billionaires, VIPs’ jets, insists on N30bn duty

“Similarly, two suspects, Gabriel Akioya and Isa Salihu, were arrested on Thursday, November 25, at Irrua, Esan Central LGA with various quantities of codeine, tramadol, swinol and Rohypnol,” the statement added.

The NDLEA spokesperson said in Delta State, operatives raided Hampton Towers and Spa Hotel, Okpanam Road, Asaba, where two suspects — Dobedient Etumudor and Thompson Chukwuemeka — were arrested with different quantities of psychoactive substances.

He said another drug dealer, Emeka Ben, was nabbed with 4.7 grams of methamphetamine on the Asaba-Ibusa road.

Other suspects arrested in the state for dealing in meth, cannabis, cocaine, and heroin include Ifeanyi Odibe, Uche Onwurah, and Justice Obika.

The Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd) commended men and officers involved in the operations and charged them to record greater feats until the drug supply and demand reduction targets of the agency were fully achieved.