Consignment said to have come through Ghana
West African coast battling hard drug menace
Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, recently reported a huge seizure of Cannabis sativa, also known as loud cannabis, at a container terminal in its commercial capital, Lagos.
Details of the said consignment showed that it had transited through Ghana before arriving at its eventual destination.
The local PUNCH newspaper citing an NDLEA statement reported details of the consignment as follows: 8,613 kilograms of Loud Cannabis smuggled in from Ghana through the waterways at the Eko Atlantic Beach, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Incidentally the operation that led to the bust was carried out by anti-narcotic officers of the Agency on Ghana’s 65th Independence Day, Sunday, March 6, 2022.
Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi in a statement addressed the bust that transited through Ghana and another one that happened late last week.
Specifically on the Ghana-linked bust, the statement read: “… based on credible intelligence, operatives of the Lagos Command of the Agency in the early hours of Sunday 6th March intercepted a consignment of Cannabis Sativa (Loud) weighing 8,613kg smuggled from Ghana through the waterways to the Eko Atlantic Beach side, Victoria Island.”
A number of people have been arrested in connection with the bust.
About the bust of
NDLEA officers reported the its agents had intercepted about 1,500kg (3,300lb) of Tapentadol and Carisoprodol.
The statement revealed that the capsules even though were originally thought to have been shipped from China, was falsely labelled by way of origin and contents.
The accompanying documents showed that the consignment contained insulation fittings and industrial office printers from China but it turned out that it was a load of opioids from India.
“The seized drugs at the bonded terminal were discovered during a joint examination of a 20ft container, SUDU 7774749, with men of Customs Service. Though the consignment was said to have originated from Ningbo province in China and falsely labelled as containing 271 packages of “insulating fittings, faucet water closet WC, and industrial office printing machine, investigations revealed that information on the bill of laden and shipping documents was fake.
“Further investigations uncovered that the container originated from India and arrived in Nigeria Apapa Port on 10th February 2022. Findings showed that the Tramadol found and labelled as Tafrodol 120mg is actually Tapentadol, which is more dangerous and potent opioid than Tramadol. It was also discovered that the container, SUDU 7774749, was consigned from India in Nhava Sheva Port, then transloaded through Morocco and Ghana to Nigeria.
