By Francis Ogwo
About 105.2kg of cocaine wrapped in 40 packets have been allegedly intercepted by security agents at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
The seizure was made on board a vessel MV SPAR SCORPIO while discharging wheat at Josepdam Terminal.
According to ports sources, the illicit drug was discovered on Monday, while the vessel was being inspected by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), among others.
The Public Relations Officer of Customs at the Tin Can Island Port, Uche Ejesieme, in a statement issued on Tuesday said the Command confirmed that two parcels containing unknown substances were seized at the ports on Monday.
“During routine discharge of Bulk Sugar at about 11:03hrs on Monday, February 8, 2021, at the Josepdam Terminal, the Terminal Operators noticed two bags of substances in the hopper that is used to discharge sugar from the Vessel into waiting trucks in the Terminal.
“The bags were recovered by the Terminal Security Operatives who now invited the PSO to the Port Manager to report the developments, without recourse to the Customs.
“However, we understand that the substances have been handed over to the NDLEA. In this circumstance, it is only the NDLEA that can give further details on this issue,” he said.
Sources later confirmed that the suspicious items were totalling 105.2 kg Cocaine wrapped in 40 packets.
