The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says it is collaborating with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency to uncover the cartel responsible for importing 1,000 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, revealing that the consignment was discovered in a container at the PTML Terminal of Tincan Island Port, Lagos.
According to Babafemi, terminal operators had found the consignment in an empty container over the weekend and promptly alerted relevant authorities, including the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies, for a joint inspection.
Field tests conducted by NDLEA operatives confirmed the substance to be cocaine. The consignment was subsequently handed over to the agency for further investigation on November 11, following collaboration between NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, and Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Adewale Adeniyi.
“The large quantity of the recovered Class A drug is worth over $235 million (₦338 billion) in the international market,” Babafemi said. “This underscores the global scale of the cartel’s operations.”
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Marwa directed that NDLEA’s international partners be immediately engaged to ensure a comprehensive probe.
“In response, officers of the US DEA and UK NCA have joined the ongoing investigation the largest single seizure of cocaine at Tincan Port,” Babafemi added.
Marwa reaffirmed that collaboration with global partners aims to ensure that all perpetrators, regardless of their location, are identified and prosecuted.
“Our goal is to leave no stone unturned and to bring every mastermind behind this massive drug shipment to justice,” Marwa stated.
This development follows intensified global cooperation between Nigeria and foreign anti-narcotics agencies to curb the trafficking of illicit substances through West African ports.
