Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in the last one week made two major breakthroughs in the fight against narcotics in the country.
While a cartel was unravelled with four members arrested, it also uncovered cocaine in paint buckets for export.
The discoveries were made known to the press in a statement by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
Babafemi revealed that NDLEA officers operating at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate at the airport.
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This followed the arrest of four members of the network and the seizure of 8kg of methamphetamine and 7.60kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from South Africa.
The lid was blown off the syndicate when an official within the airport system was intercepted with a backpack and a bag at the departure hall of Terminal 1 of the airport by NDLEA officers with the support of Aviation Security officers on May 21, 2024.
A search of the bags led to the discovery of the illicit substances.
A swift follow-up operation at the Ajao Estate area of Lagos led to the arrest of two other members of the syndicate: Chris Nwadozie and Chinedu Nwosu.
Further investigation led to the arrest of another member of the cartel working within the airport system on May 21.
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In another development, NDLEA operatives at the NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport arrested a freight agent, Sonubi Mariam Abiodun, over her attempt to cargo eight parcels of cocaine weighing 2kg concealed in three out of six paint buckets containing shea butter packaged for export to the United Kingdom on May 22.