NDLEA impounds 979,667kgs Of Drugs 

4 years ago
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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the  seizure of 979,667kgs of illicit drugs at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos between January 1 and March 23, 2021.
Mr. Garba Ahmadu, Commander, NDLEA, MMIA Command,who  disclosed this to aviation journalists at the agency’s office at the Lagos Airport,said cocaine seizure had increased in recent times with 63.217kg so far in 2021, compared to over 50kg of the same drug in the entire 2020.
The command also impounded 0.950grms of heroine, 13.3kg of cannabis sativa and over 500kgs of khat leaves.
He explained that the command had the largest single seizure within 2021 with 26.850kg of cocaine, illegally brought into the country from Brazil by a lady.
He said that the command had arrested 14 suspects, while it also secured 14 prosecutions and 12 convictions within the period in view
He said: “I think what I want to stress is that this year, we are able to have the largest single seizure of 26.850kg of cocaine. This is very interesting because it was brought in by a lady. If you look at it, this is more than half a bag of rice and if you look at how she did it, she just checked it in as a check-in luggage and passed it through. That is a very serious seizure. I think our officers should be commended for this.
“We have huge seizure of cocaine this year. This is a little different from what is obtained in previous years. In the first quarter of 2020, we had some huge seizures, but not the same for 2018 and 2019.”
Ahmadu also said that its collaboration with other local agencies, security organisations and international agencies had boosted its security surveillance of the airport, adding that its synergy with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) further made the ease-of-doing-business of the Federal Government easier for NDLEA and air travellers.
“There are so many stakeholders at the airport and my relationship with them has been fantastic, starting with FAAN. FAAN has been a good partner in enabling us to do our work. The scanners at the entry and exit points of the airport belong to FAAN and that is what we use to scan luggage.
“Aside from that we have instances where we do a lot of follow-up and the only thing we can rely on is the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras of FAAN. So, they have been up and doing in helping us to win the war against illicit drugs. Again, other security agencies have been supporting us positively to make sure we actualise our mandate. By and large, I will say we have all the supports we can get.
“Our international partners have been fantastic. Some of the equipment we have now are equipment that are rated the best in any part of the world. I can say we are getting there, but we are not there yet. However, everyone is playing its bit.”
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