NDLEA Seizes UK-Bound Illicit Drugs Concealed in Duvet at Lagos Airport, Arrests 2 Suspects
Recovers Skuchies, ‘Suck and Die,’ Opioids, and Weapons in Raids Across Lagos, Ekiti, and Kwara
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have successfully intercepted a shipment of Loud, a synthetic form of cannabis, concealed in a duvet and intended for export to the United Kingdom. The interception occurred at the cargo shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
Two suspects, Adakole Sunday and Austin Balogun, were arrested in connection with the attempted export of the illicit drugs. The consignment contained six parcels of the psychoactive substance, weighing a total of 3.5 kilograms, hidden inside the duvet.
Austin Balogun, who was the primary agent responsible for arranging the shipment, claimed he was paid N700,000 to export the drugs to the UK. He said that most of the payment went towards securing an apartment, with only a small portion spent on export handling fees.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives raided a hideout in the Igbo Olumo area of Ikorodu, Lagos, where they arrested two individuals, Joseph Oluwasegun Adewale and Biodun Adelakun. The raid resulted in the seizure of seven liters of skuchies, a new psychoactive substance made from black currant, cannabis, and opioids. Other items recovered from the suspects included several locally-made firearms, including double-barrel rifles and pistols, as well as an iron-headed axe.
On Sunday, January 19, another raid in Lagos’s notorious Akala area of Mushin led to the seizure of 47 kg of skunk (a strain of cannabis) and 25.46 kg of Nitrous Oxide—commonly known as laughing gas.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA officers arrested 26-year-old Adepoju Taiwo on Thursday, January 23, at Iworoko Road in Ado-Ekiti. Taiwo was found in possession of 1.95 kg of Canadian Loud. In Kwara State, operatives arrested Auwal Sani on Monday, January 20, in Bode Saadu, Moro Local Government Area, seizing 50,000 pills of tramadol (225mg), weighing 36.56 kg.
In Kano, a joint operation led to the arrest of three suspects—Abubakar Lami (45), Abba Sani (35), and Auwal Aliyu (32)—at Gadar Tamburawa. The operatives recovered 13.1 kg of skunk and 125 liters of ‘suck and die’, another new psychoactive substance. Additionally, NDLEA officers located and destroyed a cannabis plantation in the Dawakin Kudu area of Kano, arresting the farm’s operator, 45-year-old Sabo Ali Muhammad.
Across the country, NDLEA Commands have continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), holding sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to schools, places of worship, and community leaders. Notable activities included lectures for students at Army Children Secondary School in Oyo, Government Day Secondary School in Kebbi, and St. Dominic Comprehensive College in Akwa Ibom, among others.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, praised the officers involved in the raids and seizures in Lagos, Kano, Kwara, and Ekiti for their efforts. He also commended NDLEA officers across the country for their continued work in social advocacy, educating communities about the dangers of drug abuse.
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