Two British nationals and two Nigerians have been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for attempting to smuggle into Nigeria 92 bags of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 51.10kg.
According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the suspects Mhizha Jordan Alexander Tatendra and Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon (a Nigerian-British dual citizen), along with Shonowo Oluwaseun Imole and Ofuoma Omokaro Ayobami, were arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Alexander, who arrived on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha on May 15, was intercepted with the illicit cargo. However, NDLEA operatives allowed him to pass through airport security while under surveillance. He was tracked to the car park, where Adejuwon awaited in an SUV alongside Imole and Ayobami to receive the shipment.
The arrest was part of a larger operation targeting drug cartels exploiting new smuggling routes. In related developments, the NDLEA intercepted massive hauls of opioids and codeine-laced cough syrups valued at over ₦6.52 billion. These included six million pills—tamol 225mg, tapentadol 225mg, and carisoprodol 225mg—and 332,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup, seized from the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State, and the Apapa Seaport in Lagos.
These seizures followed intelligence-led monitoring and the full inspection of suspicious containers.
Additionally, NDLEA officers intercepted a consignment of drugs concealed in packages labelled as plantain chips at the Lagos airport.
“Narco-trend update: This consignment was packaged as plantain chips, but inside was a skunk, as discovered by vigilant #ndlea_nigeria officers in one of their latest seizures at Lagos airport,” Babafemi wrote on X.
He also cautioned Nigerians against transporting packages for others without verifying their contents.
“Always be careful of what you’re given to travel with!” he warned.
What you should know
NDLEA has arrested two British nationals and two Nigerians for smuggling 51.10kg of cannabis into Nigeria via MMIA.
Massive seizures of opioids and codeine-based syrups worth over ₦6.5 billion were also made at seaports, and travelers are being warned to scrutinize packages they’re asked to carry.
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