Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested 12 persons suspected of possessing illicit drugs hidden in Cerelac baby food tins, clothes, and bodies of vehicle compartments, across various states in the country.

This was disclosed in a statement released on the NDLEA’s official X account, signed by its Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.

Also read: NDLEA takes down major methamphetamine cartel in Imo, Rivers states

According to the statement, a freight agent, Suliat Salaudeen, was arrested after multiple shipments of illicit drugs hidden in tins of Cerelac baby food and clothes going to the United States and the United Kingdom were seized by the NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, and a courier firm in Lagos.

Consequently, a follow-up operation in Ibadan, Oyo State on Saturday, August 3, led to the arrest of the sender of the cargo, Motunrayo Bello, at 20 Mofoluwasho Estate, Elewuro, Akobo area of the same State.

Freelanews gathered that 36 parcels of a strong strain of cannabis, weighing 18.5kg, were hidden in six cartons of tins of branded Nestle Cerelac baby food, with six containers in each package were recovered at the SAHCOL export shed of Lagos airport on Wednesday, July 31.

The Cerelac tins were reportedly all factory-sealed at the top while they tampered with the bottom through which they put the substances covered with loose quantities of the infant cereal meal to prevent discovery, an effort that ended in futility as vigilant NDLEA officers were able to foil the attempt.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA operatives at the Tin Can port in Lagos on Friday, August 2, arrested two suspects, Salami Sunday, 34, and Lekan Atoyebi, 33, after recovering 77 packages of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 38.5kg from the body compartments of four vehicles: Toyota Highlander, Ford Explorer, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Sienna imported from Canada.

The operation was carried out during a joint examination of shipments of the packages with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders, which were seized and the suspects assigned to clear the shipments, were taken into custody.

The statement also noted that one Isiagu Sunday was arrested in Mushin Ojuoye, Lagos on Thursday, August 1, with 1,740 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 174 litres and 1,070 tablets of Molly weighing 600g.

Five suspects were arrested at Itaogbolu forest, Akure North LG area of Ondo State, caught in connection with the seizure of 42kg of cannabis after about 50 bags of cannabis weighing 520kg were recovered in the bush at Isuada, Owo council area of the same state.

The suspects include Jimoh Omotosho, 63, Donald Obi, 62, Emmanuel Patrick, 21, Kayode Oluwaseun, 39, and John Nsikan, 34.

In another operation, five different shipments of opioids and other psychoactive substances, weighing 2.82kg such as tramadol, morphine and others, concealed in cloths and other items meant for export to the US and UK were intercepted by NDLEA operatives at a logistics company on Monday, July 29, in Lagos.

While one of the shipments containing 820g of promethazine and pentazocine injections was going to the US, the remaining four parcels consisting of over two kilograms of opioids such as tramadol 225mg, molly and NPS were heading to the UK.

In Edo State, it was reported that a suspect, Osayede Aghoma, was arrested after 22 and a half bags of cannabis weighing 220kg were recovered from Egbeta community, Ovia North East area on Tuesday, July 30.

The agency also disclosed that another suspect, Ibrahim Abubakar, 55, was on Wednesday, July 31, reportedly caught with 40 blocks of cannabis weighing 19.2kg along the Okene-Lokoja highway in a commercial bus coming from Lagos en route Kano.

In the report, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Buba Marwa, was said to have commended the officers and men of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Kogi, Edo, Ondo, Lagos, and Tin Can commands as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures of illicit drugs, saying, he noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitisation activities and charged them and their compatriots across the country to maintain the zeal and tempo.