A total of 370, 399.6 kilograms of drugs seized in six months - NDLEA

The drugs seized are made up of 76.5238 kilograms of Cocaine, 44.5313 kilograms of Heroin and 25.24 kilograms of Methamphetamine. Others are 26.2 kilograms of Ephedrine, 12, 942.47 kilograms of sundry psychotropic substances while Cannabis sativa, locally cultivated in Nigeria accounts for 357, 284.29 kilograms of the total seizures.

The Agency also arrested a total of 5, 036 suspected drug offenders while a total of 532 persons were prosecuted and convicted between January and June 2017. Only one case was struck out by the Court with the other remaining cases pending.

Within the same period, the Agency destroyed Cannabis sativa plantations spanning 38.2 Hectares.

In order to curb the involvement of some unscrupulous Nigerians in drug trafficking abroad, the Agency has intensified efforts of screening Nigerians going to drug source countries before they are given visa. This is to ensure that only persons with legitimate businesses have opportunity to travel to those countries.

A total of 533 applicants were cleared between January and June 2017 out of 737 applications submitted to the Agency.

The Agency also discovered another clandestine laboratory in Enugu State leading to the destruction of 20 kilograms of Methamphetamine found in the laboratory. This brings to 12 the number of Methamphetamine laboratories so far discovered in Nigeria between 2011 and 2017.
There are indications that the 2017 records of arrests and seizures may outstrip that of the preceding year. This is predicated on improvement in training and retraining of officers coupled with the robust relationship with the Agency’s international partners.

During this period, the Agency received donations from the international collaborators which included six sniffer dogs by the German Government and drug testing kits for dependent persons by the French Government, which have improved the operational capacity of the Agency.

More than 372 personnel of the Agency have been trained within this period by the international collaborators in various operational areas.
In 2016, the Agency apprehended a total of 8,257 suspected offenders and made a seizure of 267,574.45 kilogrammes of drugs.