LAGOS, February 19, 2024: Authorities in Nigeria have intercepted a significant quantity of “Loud,” a potent strain of synthetic cannabis, hidden within giant loudspeakers at the Lagos airport, as part of a broader crackdown on drug trafficking across the country.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) made the discovery during routine checks at the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company’s (NAHCO) import shed. Upon inspection, the ostensibly innocuous wooden boxes, disguised as sound speakers, were found to contain 60 bags of the illicit substance, weighing a total of 33.5kg.
The operation, which took place on undisclosed dates between Thursday and Friday, February 15 and 16, 2024, resulted in the apprehension of three suspects allegedly involved in the trafficking scheme. Among those arrested were a freight agent identified as Akeem Afeez, logistics company manager Babalola Ayodeji Gboyega, and the intended recipient of the contraband, Taiwo Olusegun Anuoluwapo.
Further investigations revealed a complex network of drug trafficking spanning various regions of Nigeria. In Kogi State, NDLEA operatives detained a suspect named Charles Chike at a hotel in Lokoja, seizing 290 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 116kg concealed in the boot of a vehicle. Similarly, in Edo State, law enforcement agents intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine concealed inside a local food item en route from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Lagos.
These seizures are part of a wider crackdown by the NDLEA, which has led to multiple arrests across the country. In separate operations in Abia State, Kano State, Ogun State, and the Federal Capital Territory, significant quantities of various illicit drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and tramadol, were confiscated, and several suspects were apprehended.
