Officials from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended 12 individuals suspected of possessing illegal drugs concealed within Cerelac baby food tins, clothing, and hidden compartments of vehicles across various states in Nigeria.
This information was shared in a statement issued on the NDLEA’s official X account, signed by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media & Advocacy, on Sunday.
The statement revealed that a freight agent, Suliat Salaudeen, was taken into custody after several shipments containing illegal drugs hidden in Cerelac baby food tins and clothing destined for the United States and the United Kingdom were intercepted by the NDLEA at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja and at a courier company in Lagos.
Following this, a subsequent operation conducted in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Saturday, August 3, resulted in the arrest of Motunrayo Bello, the individual who sent the cargo, at 20 Mofoluwasho Estate, Elewuro area of the same state.
NAIJATRAFFIC learned that 36 parcels of a potent cannabis strain, weighing 18.5kg, were discovered concealed within six cartons of branded Nestle Cerelac baby food tins, with six containers in each carton recovered at the SAHCOL export shed at Lagos airport on Wednesday, July 31.
The Cerelac tins had all been factory-sealed at the top; however, they were tampered with at the bottom, through which the drugs were inserted and covered with small amounts of infant cereal to evade detection—an effort that was ultimately unsuccessful due to the vigilance of NDLEA agents.
Additionally, NDLEA operatives at the Tin Can port in Lagos detained two suspects, Salami Sunday, 34, and Lekan Atoyebi, 33, on Friday, August 2, recovering 77 packages of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain weighing 38.5kg from the hidden sections of four vehicles: a Toyota Highlander, Ford Explorer, Toyota Corolla, and Toyota Sienna imported from Canada.
This operation took place during a collaborative inspection of shipments alongside personnel from the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders, leading to the confiscation of the packages and the detention of the suspects assigned to clear them.
The announcement further specified that Isiagu Sunday was apprehended in Mushin Ojuoye, Lagos on Thursday, August 1, with 1,740 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 174 liters and 1,070 grams of Molly tablets.
In a separate incident in Ondo State, five individuals were arrested in Itaogbolu forest, Akure North LG area, in connection with the seizure of 42kg of cannabis following the recovery of approximately 50 bags of cannabis weighing 520kg in the Isuada area of Owo council.
The suspects included Jimoh Omotosho, 63, Donald Obi, 62, Emmanuel Patrick, 21, Kayode Oluwaseun, 39, and John Nsikan, 34.
Moreover, NDLEA operatives intercepted five separate shipments consisting of opioids and other psychoactive substances weighing 2.82kg, including tramadol and morphine, concealed in clothing and other items intended for export to the US and UK on Monday, July 29, in Lagos.
One of the shipments, containing 820g of promethazine and pentazocine injections, was destined for the US, while the other four packages, totaling over two kilograms of opioids like tramadol 225mg and Molly, were intended for the UK.
In Edo State, a suspect named Osayede Aghoma was arrested after 22.5 bags of cannabis weighing 220kg were recovered from the Egbeta community in the Ovia North East area on Tuesday, July 30.
Additionally, another suspect, Ibrahim Abubakar, 55, was reported to have been caught on Wednesday, July 31, with 40 blocks of cannabis weighing 19.2kg along the Okene-Lokoja highway while traveling in a commercial bus from Lagos heading to Kano.
The report stated that Buba Marwa, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, praised the officers stationed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport and commands in Kogi, Edo, Ondo, Lagos, and Tin Can, as well as those in DOGI, for their effective actions in apprehending drug traffickers and confiscating illegal substances.
He acknowledged their efforts in reducing drug supply while conducting sensitization initiatives under WADA and encouraged them and their colleagues nationwide to keep up their dedicated work.
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