The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted illicit drug consignments worth more than N5 billion at major seaports and arrested several suspects in coordinated operations across different parts of the country.

The agency also recovered 4.8 kilogrammes of cocaine from an Italy-bound businessman at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and destroyed more than 20,000 kilogrammes of cannabis in Osun State.

According to the NDLEA, the 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, was arrested on September 27 at Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.

Operatives recovered 16 parcels of cocaine concealed in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, while another 195 wraps were found hidden inside the railings of four travelling bags.

At the Apapa Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 124kg of Thai Loud valued at N372 million, while another operation at the Onne Port in Rivers State led to the seizure of 22kg of Loud and 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.

At the Tincan Island Port, Lagos, officers also intercepted 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg and valued at more than N3.8 billion.

Beyond the ports, the agency reported seizures and arrests in Lagos, Kogi, Edo and Plateau states.

In Kogi State, operatives intercepted a Lagos-Abuja-bound bus along the Okene-Lokoja Highway and recovered 1kg of methamphetamine concealed in a waybill package. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment in Abuja.

In Osun State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 20,234kg of skunk cultivated on an 8.0936-hectare cannabis farm in the Ife South Local Government Area.

The agency also recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol in Lagos, 32.2kg of cannabis in Edo State and 385kg of skunk in Plateau State.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives arrested a 47-year-old fugitive, Idris Mohammed Kurra, who had allegedly been on the run for six years after jumping bail in a drug trafficking case before the Federal High Court in Jos.

Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel across the country to sustain efforts against drug trafficking networks while continuing the agency’s drug prevention and sensitisation programmes.