Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a consignment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, concealed in duvet and packaged for export to the United Kingdom through the cargo shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

Two suspects, Adakole Sunday and Austin Balogun, linked to the bid to export the consignment to the UK were arrested following the discovery by NDLEA officers on January 21, 2025.

NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja in a statement, said six parcels of the psychoactive substance with a gross weight of 3.50kgs were concealed inside the duvet.

“In his statement, Austin Balogun who is the main agent who hired Adakole, claimed he was paid N700,000 to cargo the consignment to the UK but spent a fraction of the money on export handling charges and the bulk to pay for an apartment,’’ Babafemi said.

Also, two suspects, Joseph Oluwasegun Adewale and Biodun Adelakun were arrested at Igbo Olumo, Ikorodu area of Lagos when NDLEA operatives raided their hideout where seven litres of skuchies, a new psychoactive substance produced with black currant, cannabis and opioids, were recovered.

Other exhibits seized from the duo include three locally made double barrel rifles; one locally made double barrel pistol; one English-made pistol; one locally made single-barrel rifle; three cartridges and one empty 9mm cartridge as well as an iron-head axe.

In Ekiti State, Babafemi said a suspect Adepoju Taiwo, 26, was arrested by NDLEA officers on Thursday, January 23 with 1.950kgs Canadian Loud at Iworoko road, Ilokun, Ado-Ekiti, while Auwal Sani was nabbed by operatives on January 20 at Bode Saadu in Moro LGA of Kwara State, with a total of 50,000 pills of tramadol, 225mg weighing 36.56kgs.

A Nigerien, Abubakar Lami, 45, with two others – Abba Sani, 35, and Auwal Aliyu, 32, – were arrested at Gadar Tamburawa, Kano State, while 13.1kgs skunk and 125 litres of ‘suck and die’, a new psychoactive substance were recovered from them.

In Gefen Kasa, Dawakin Kudu council area of the State, Babafemi added that a cannabis plantation was located and destroyed by a team of NDLEA officers who arrested a suspect, Sabo Ali Muhammad, 45, linked to the farm.