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In recent months, the NDLEA often seized illegal drugs from suspects without rancour.
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However, that was not the case during the last week as members of a drug cartel engaged the agency’s operatives in a gunfight.
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The gunfight, which went on for about 30 minutes, ended with NDLEA operatives seizing nearly 9,000 kilograms of Canadian loud.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 8,852 kilograms of Canadian loud, an imported synthetic strain of cannabis, at Eleko Beach road in the Lekki area of Lagos State.
The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, made the disclosure in a statement on Sunday.
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The NDLEA spokesperson stated that the seizure was made after operatives of the agency engaged armed persons escorting the illegal substances in a gun duel for about 30 minutes.
According to Babafemi, the agency acted on intelligence and laid ambush for the traffickers transporting the consignment loaded in two trucks on Thursday.
“When the suspects who were escorted by armed men were flagged down, rather than stop, they escaped and abandoned the drugs. But they were later overpowered by the operatives in an exchange of gunfire that lasted 30 minutes,” he said.
“While one of the trucks painted red has 149 jumbo bags weighing 6,548kg, the second one with blue colour has 53 big bags with a weight of 2,304kg, bringing the total number of bags to 202 and gross weight of both to 8,852 kilograms.”
The NDLEA official noted that the agency’s operatives are already on the trail of the suspected drug lord who shipped the illicit consignment into the country.
Babafemi said the operation happened on Thursday, May 4, 2023.
He added that on the same day, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle driven by one Mukaila Idowu, conveying 88.3kg skunk at Otedola bridge, while another suspect,
Furthermore, Joseph Friday, was arrested on Saturday at lyana Ira in Lagos with 58.7kg cannabis sativa concealed inside his Toyota Camry car marked FST 587FH, according to the drug law enforcement agency’s spokesperson.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, attached to courier firms, intercepted blocks of compressed brown methamphetamine packaged as soap bars weighing 1.54 kilograms going to Australia.
Babafemi said the seizure at a courier house in Lagos on Tuesday, May 2, was a follow-up operation to an earlier interception of 3.389kg of the same substance on February 23, 2023.
“A suspected drug courier, Paul Adetigbe who delivered the previous parcel was eventually arrested with the latest consignment,” he stated.
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The NDLEA spokesperson added that the agency arrested some suspects and made seizures of illegal substances in Ogun, Adamawa, Edo, Anambra and Kogi states between May 3 and May 5.
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