The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Thursday destroyed 560,068kgs of assorted illicit drugs, the largest to be destroyed in the 32-year history of NDLEA.
Leading other top officials of NDLEA, other security agencies and members of the public in the burning of heaps of the illicit drugs in Lagos State, Chairman, NDLEA, Buba Marwa, said it was a strong message to drug barons and cartels that they would continue to lose their huge investments in the criminal trade if they failed to back out and look for other legitimate businesses.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, gave a breakdown of the illicit substances burnt thus: 7,414.519kg cocaine; 161,206kg heroin; 1,144.8kg methamphetamine; 60,144kg ephedrine; 311,416.19162kg cannabis sativa; 10,091.83kg khat; 273.223kg tramadol; 0.000170kg benylin with codeine and 8,207.7505kg of other psychotropic substances.
He said the illicit drugs were seized by the Murtala Mohammed International Airport command; the Lagos State command and the Seme Special Area command from persons convicted and sentenced by the Federal High Court as well as abandoned seizures.
The statement quoted Marwa as saying:
“Since January 2021, we’ve arrested over 17,647 drug offenders of which 2,385 have been convicted in court. In the process, we have seized over 3.5m kilos of assorted drugs.”
He said the NDLEA was aware of the fact that some teenagers and young adults were being exposed to drugs at a very young age, particularly in deprived circumstances.
“The agency is working with other institutions to provide educational opportunities, vocational skills training and other socio-economic support for this vulnerable group.”
