National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives arrested two British nationals for attempting to smuggle 92 bags of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 51.10kg, into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The British nationals, Mhizha Jordan Alexander Tatendra and Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon, were arrested alongside two Nigerians: Shonowo Oluwaseun Imole and Ofuoma Omokaro Ayobami.
Tatendra was intercepted with the consignment upon arrival at MMIA on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha, based on processed intelligence, on Thursday, May 15. He was allowed to pass through security checks unhindered but was closely monitored by NDLEA operatives to the car park. There, the owner of the cargo, Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon, a British Nigerian, awaited in a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) along with his relative, Shonowo Oluwaseun Imole, and the vehicle’s driver, Ofuoma Omokaro Ayobami, to receive the courier.
NDLEA operatives swooped on them as they attempted to drive out of the airport car park, arresting them along with the drug exhibits found in the vehicle.
In his statement, Tatendra confessed to being recruited during his vacation a few weeks earlier, with a promise of 1,300 British pounds for successfully delivering the consignment in Lagos.
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The syndicate’s leader, Ayedipe, admitted he had arrived in Nigeria a day earlier from South Africa via Ghana.
A follow-up operation at their apartment in Lekki led to additional discoveries. Upon his arrest, N93,000 and 17,200 South African Rand were recovered from Ayedipe. A search of his apartment yielded N3.8 million cash, an Apple laptop, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and four laughing gas (nitrous oxide) canisters.
In a separate operation, NDLEA also intercepted approximately six million pills of opioids, including tamol 225mg, tapentadol 225mg, and carisoprodol 225mg, as well as 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, valued at N6.5 billion. These seizures occurred at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, and the Apapa Seaport, Lagos.
The seizures followed intelligence reports and tracking of new trafficking routes used by drug cartels to ship illicit substances into Nigeria, prompting a watch-list of containers for thorough examination.
At the Port Harcourt ports, six million pills of opioids and 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup were uncovered in two containers on Monday, May 19, and Tuesday, May 20, during a joint examination by NDLEA operatives, Nigeria Customs officials, and other security agencies.
