The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Wednesday said that its sniffer dogs have helped in the confiscation of 16 Kilogrammes of highly grade heroin at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.
The agency through its head of public affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell said this is the first major seizure of narcotics this year.
Mr Mitchell said that the anti-narcotic agents had placed the consignment on surveillance following the alert signal of the sniffer dogs. The operation led to the ultimate abandonment of the 16 kilogrammes of heroin by a suspected drug syndicate at the National Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Shed of the airport.
According to him, the brownish substance that tested positive was packed in white transparent polythene and hidden inside metal pipes and that the drug which was industrially packed was brought as cargo on a KLM flight from the Republic of Iran.
“The estimated street value of the drug in Lagos, Nigeria is about 160 million naira and could be four times higher in international market,” Mr Mitchell said in a press statement.
He said that the agency conducted “100 per cent search because of the alert given by the sniffer dogs. A welder was invited to forcefully cut the pipe open. The effort paid off when the heroin was found.
“The cargo with Air Waybill number 0747419547 was addressed to one Mr. Nnaemeka Chinedu Joseph of 64, Ladipo Industrial Parts, Mushin Lagos,” he said.
The airport commander, Hamza Umar said that the consignment arrived from Iran but was left unclaimed.
“The consignment was at the NAHCO shed upon arrival from Iran. Based on suspicion we placed it under observation. However, when nobody came forward to take delivery of the consignment, we first brought in the sniffer dogs to examine it.
“The dogs alerted that the thick metal pipes are positive for narcotics. This was what emboldened us to conduct extensive examination openly witnessed by customs, police and other security officials. They were all amazed at the clever way the drug was concealed” the commander said.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade said that the seizure is an indication that drug trafficking syndicates are losing the drug war.
“This is another important seizure to the agency and the country,” he said.
“It points to the fact that our control measures at the exit and entry points are getting better by the day. No doubt, it is a huge loss for the drug cartel behind the illegal shipment. This is a very successful operation and we have launched full scale investigation into the illegal import. We hope to unveil the culprits soonest” Mr Giade added.
The NDLEA boss added that the role of the sniffer dogs in the seizure underscore the importance of logistic support in the drug war.
