NDLEA INTERCEPTS N5BN DRUGS AT PORTS, ARRESTS MILAN-BOUND BUSINESSMAN

Anti-narcotics agency seizes multi-billion-naira illicit substances in major intelligence-led operation

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted illicit drugs valued at over N5 billion in a series of coordinated operations at major Nigerian ports, resulting in the arrest of a Milan-bound businessman.

According to the anti-graft agency, the massive bust followed weeks of meticulous intelligence gathering and profiling of cargo passing through primary shipping corridors.

The primary suspect, a businessman attempting to board a flight to Milan, Italy, was apprehended by operatives after being linked to concealed consignments containing prohibited substances.

Investigators revealed that the illicit drugs were cleverly hidden inside commercial export containers and specialized packaging to evade detection by port scanners and security personnel.

The seizures include large quantities of regulated narcotics and psychotropic substances whose market value runs into billions of naira, posing a severe threat if successfully trafficked internationally.

The NDLEA chairman commended the tactical teams involved in the seamless operations, reiterating the agency's unyielding resolve to dismantle transnational drug cartels operating within the country's gateways.

The suspect is currently in custody undergoing intensive interrogation and will be charged to court upon the completion of preliminary investigations.

The latest interception underscores the ongoing crackdown by security agencies to block international drug trafficking routes and safeguard public health and national security.