Within eight states, 24 suspected drug dealers with 7.6 tons of various illicit drugs have been taken into custody by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Operative.
Among the apprehended suspects is a 42-year-old man intercepted while transporting a large quantity of concealed opioid pills to an insurgent stronghold in Banki, Borno state.
The arrests also included a six-month-pregnant woman and three other women found involved in drug-related activities in different parts of the country.
Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA, revealed that a significant portion of the seized drugs was intercepted in Nasarawa State.
In one operation, operatives intercepted a truck carrying 367 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa, weighing a total of 4,037 kilograms, leading to the arrest of three individuals connected to the illicit shipment.
Additional operations in Abuja, Ondo, Kano, and Lagos resulted in the arrest of individuals attempting to transport significant quantities of compressed cannabis sativa and other illegal substances concealed in trucks.
Moreover, the NDLEA uncovered sophisticated attempts to conceal drugs, including the use of detergents to mask odors and the strategic placement of water packets to obscure the illicit nature of the cargo.
The crackdown extended to various regions, with arrests made in Kano and Borno targeting suppliers of illegal drugs. Also, a suspected supplier of opioids to insurgents in Banki was apprehended with a substantial quantity of tramadol capsules.
In Anambra and Lagos, the agency’s operations led to the arrest of individuals engaged in drug dealing, with seizures of cannabis, tramadol, diazepam, codeine syrup, and other banned substances.