Europe-bound woman conceals cocaine, opioids in sanitary pads as NDLEA destroys 100,000kg of cannabis 

The National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Sunday said it intercepted a consignment of cocaine and pharmaceutical opioids concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads and hair treatment cream containers heading to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Cyprus in Lagos.

NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi said this in a statement, a copy of which was made available to Blueprint in Lagos.

The drugs, Babafemi said, were intercepted by the NDLEA operatives at three courier firms in Lagos.

“In one of the logistics companies, not less than 30 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.1 kilograms concealed in hair cream containers were recovered by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI.

“During the examination of cargoes going to Ireland on   September 3, 2024, another consignment of 24 parcels of cocaine weighing 862 grams also hidden in hair cream containers meant for delivery in UK was equally intercepted at the same company on Friday 6th September,” Babafemi stated.

“In the same vein, a total of 525 pills of tramadol 225mg and ecstasy (MDMA) concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads going to Cyprus were seized at another courier firm in Lagos by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday September 3, while a shipment of 200 ampoules of promethazine injection and pentazocine injection hidden in food items and herbs heading to London, UK, was also seized by operatives on September 4.

“Operatives equally intercepted another consignment of tramadol 225mg buried in granulated melon that came from Cameroon and going to South Africa on Friday, September 6,” the statement said.

…Destroys 100,000kg cannabis

In a related development, the NDLEA also said it destroyed over 100,000kg of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farmland in Ekiti, a southwest state.

In a statement Sunday in Abuja, the agency’s spokesman said NDLEA operatives, supported by men of the Nigerian Army, Tuesday, 3 September, and Wednesday, 4 September, stormed three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve in the Ise/Orun local government area of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Obafemi as listing the affected areas to include Aba Saalaja with 23 hectares, Aba Paanu with 12 hectares, and Aba Arogunmatidi with 16 hectares, all within the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve.

…Others arrested in Kaduna, Jigawa, Kogi

Also, the statement  said two suspects were arrested Friday on the Toro-Jos Road, Kaduna, with 305kg cannabis (Indian hemp) concealed in a false compartment of a J5 boxer bus marked YLA 682 XM.

Babafemi said another suspect was arrested in possession of 18 kilogrammes of the same substance in Makarfi town.

“Two other suspects others: were arrested on the Zaria- Kaduna highway in possession of 1300 tablets of Tramadol, all same day,” he said.

Also, in Jigawa state, a 30-year-old man was nabbed with 32.6kg of cannabis (Indian hemp) on Thursday, 5 September, at Koran Shehu.

Babafemi said that operatives in Kogi state, Wednesday, intercepted 77,300 pills of Tramadol, Diazepam, and Exol-5 with 1,230 bottles of codeine in a commercial bus driven by Attai Okolo, 68, along Aloma – Ejule road, Ofu local government area of the state.