Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recovered 589 bags of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis with a total weight of 417.3kgs worth N1,042bn in street value.

The operation was recorded after the NDLEA operatives raided an 80-room new hotel on Victoria Island, Lagos, used as cover for distributing illicit substances.

Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this on Sunday in a statement, said at least, three suspects: Eze Ayitu, Ofuokwu Samuel, and Emmanuel Ameh were arrested during the operation at the five-storey hotel building between Friday 25th and Saturday 26th April 2025, while two other suspects: Noble Philip and his partner, Kenneth, were at large.

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“Items suspected to be proceeds of illicit drug trade recovered from the premises housing The Hook Hotel also known as Caesar Hotel and Caesar Lounge located at 16 Waziri Ibrahim Street, off Elsie Femi Pearse Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, include: Toyota Prado Landcruiser Jeep (Lagos AKD 472 OZ); Toyota Sienna Vehicle (Lagos KJA 79 HJ); Volkswagen Delivery Van (Lagos AAA 525 JE); Kia Ceranto Car (Lagos BDG 860 GQ); Grand Caravan Dodge (Lagos APP 847 YF); 74 new TV sets; 10 used TV sets; and 13 refrigerators, among others,” Babafemi said.

In another major interdiction in Jigawa State with a follow-up operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence on Wednesday seized consignments of opioids being moved from Kano to Niger Republic and Yobe State through Jigawa.

The psychoactive substances were being moved in a Toyota Sienna vehicle marked ABJ 182 NW at about 2:30am on Wednesday along Kano-Ringim road, Gumel town when anti-narcotic officers on patrol intercepted them and arrested two suspects: Abba Ibrahim, 28, and Shuaibu Umar, 29.

Recovered from the Sienna vehicle were 200,000 pills of tramadol 250mg and 217,500 capsules of pregabalin.

“A swift follow-up operation in Kano led to the arrest of the supplier, 41-year-old Jamilu Muhammad, at his residence located at Mil Tara, Layin Technical area of Kano while additional 1,584,000 pills of tramadol 250mg stacked inside a Nissan 18-seater bus marked DAL 372 XA and a room in his house were discovered and evacuated.

“This brings the total number of the recovered opioids to 2,001,500 pills,” Babafemi said.

Barely a week after NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) uncovered 20 parcels of cocaine concealed inside religious books going to Saudi Arabia at a logistics company in Lagos, the operatives have again intercepted another shipment of 46 wraps of cocaine weighing 547grams hidden in body cream going to the same country.

The seizure was made on Wednesday at a courier firm in Lagos. Another consignment intercepted on the same day include: 1.8kgd pentazocine injection and 60grams bromazepam tablets heading to Canada.

Meanwhile, at the Seme border area of Badagry Lagos, three Ghanaian ladies were on Sunday, 20th April arrested at the Gbaji check point by NDLEA operatives while reportedly attempting to smuggle combined 4.8kgs of Ghana Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, into Nigeria.

The suspects arrested include: Haziza Zubairu, 42; Samirat Mustapha, 43; and Jamila Salifu, 26.

In Kano State, a 60-year-old grandma Safiya Shamsu, was on Friday nabbed at Samegu area of Kumbotso LGA with 5.6kgs skunk, a strain of cannabis, while another suspect Muntari Labaran, 35, was taken into custody following the seizure of 100 litres of codeine syrup from him at Yelwa area of Dala LGA of the state.

Also, a total of 3,814.9kgs skunk was destroyed on two farms in Ugbodu community, Ovia North East LGA, Edo State on Thursday when NDLEA operatives raided the plantations where three suspects: Samuel Samson, 26; Daniel Peter, 20; and Abel Edah, 31, were arrested.