PUNCH NEWS
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has seized 8,852 kilograms of Canadian loud, an imported synthetic strain of cannabis, at Eleko Road in the Lekki area of Lagos.
The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
He said 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 him, the agency acted on intelligence and laid ambush for the traffickers transporting the consignment loaded in two trucks on Thursday.
Babafemi said, “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.
“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. Meanwhile, operatives are already on the trail of the drug lord who shipped the illicit consignment into the country.”
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, 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…