By Olatunbosun Obafemi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two British nationals, Mhizha Jordan Alexander Tatendra and Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon, alongside two Nigerians, for attempting to smuggle 92 bags of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 51.10kg through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi disclosed on Sunday that the suspects were intercepted on May 15 after arriving from Doha via Qatar Airways. Surveillance led agents to the airport car park where the syndicate was arrested while trying to transport the drugs.
Alexander confessed he was recruited during a vacation and promised £1,300 for delivery. Adejuwon, identified as the ringleader, had flown in from South Africa. A follow-up raid in Lekki uncovered N3.8 million cash, foreign currencies, electronics, and nitrous oxide canisters.
In other operations, NDLEA intercepted over six million opioid pills and 332,000 bottles of codeine syrup at the Onne and Apapa ports in Rivers and Lagos states, following intelligence-led tracking of new trafficking routes.
Meanwhile, over 75,000kg of cannabis was destroyed across farms in Cross River and Edo States, with further seizures in Nasarawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Yobe, and Niger States. Notably, 4,000kg of skunk was hidden under timber in Nasarawa, while 80 blocks of cannabis were seized in Bauchi.
In Lagos, raids in Lekki and Ibeju-Lekki led to arrests and seizure of various narcotics, including cocaine, meth, and molly. The NDLEA says it remains committed to intensifying efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks across the country.
