Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 66 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, disguised as green tea at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
EpeInsights learnt that the seizure, made on Thursday, June 5, 2025, followed credible intelligence that prompted officials to place the consignment under surveillance.
The suspicious cargo had arrived on May 11 via an Emirates Airlines flight from Thailand through the UAE. NDLEA officers maintained surveillance on the package for over three weeks before conducting a joint examination with other relevant stakeholders.
According to the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the 62.2kg consignment was carefully concealed in green tea wraps, a tactic often used by traffickers to evade detection.
In a related operation, NDLEA officers in Lagos intercepted another consignment of 1,665 kilograms of skunk, a type of cannabis, along the Lekki-Ajah expressway on Monday, June 2.
Two suspects, Gidado Abdulrasaq Ayinde and Obanla Oluwafemi, were arrested in connection with the haul.
Meanwhile, along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway in Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 29-year-old man, Goodluck Nnaemeka, on June 3 with 612 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 2,970 pills of flunitrazepam.
On the same day, a 52-year-old wanted drug dealer, Kabiru Musa, also known as KB, was apprehended at Kurmin Mash, where officers had earlier recovered 25.7 kilograms of skunk from his base.
In Edo State, a further 9 kilograms of Loud was found hidden in the spare tyre compartment of an Audi station wagon with registration number AAA 975 XU.
The vehicle was driven by 45-year-old Atari Israel and intercepted along Auchi road. Additionally, two young women, Favour Joy and Joy Igwe, were arrested on June 3 in the Ikpoba Hill area of Benin City.
Items recovered from them included 106.57 kilograms of skunk, 1 kilogram of Loud, 800 grams of synthetic cannabis known as Colorado, and 302 grams of methamphetamine.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), commended officers from the MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna and Edo State commands for their successful operations.
He also praised all NDLEA personnel across the country for maintaining a balanced focus on both drug supply reduction and demand management efforts.
Marwa reiterated the agency’s commitment to disrupting the drug trade and safeguarding communities from the harmful effects of illicit substances.
