In what it described as potentially the biggest raid the nation has ever seen, Nigeria’s anti-drug agency confiscated a record 1.8 tons of cocaine worth $278 million at a warehouse in Lagos on Monday.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency reported that five people, including the warehouse manager and four “drug barons,” including one who fit a profile for a Jamaican, were detained in connection with the drugs.
NDLEA busts cocaine warehouse, seizes N193billion worth of crack in Lagos
…Arrests 4 drug barons, 1 other pic.twitter.com/iMDjzxIgtq
— NDLEA NIGERIA (@ndlea_nigeria) September 19, 2022
The individuals belonged to a global narcotics cartel that the CIA has been pursuing since 2018.
The drugs were allegedly discovered on Sunday at a remote estate in Lagos’ Ikorodu neighborhood, where “the cartel was trying to sell them to buyers in Europe, Asia, and other areas of the world,” according to the agency.
The agency claimed in a statement that was made public along with images of the suspects and the drugs that the drugs were kept in 10 travel bags and 13 drums.
As “a historical blow to the drug cartels and a powerful message that they’ll all go down if they fail to recognize that the game has changed,” the agency described the arrests and seizures.
Since last year, West Africa has seen an increase in drug seizures, indicating that traffickers have turned the region into a hub for transporting their illicit goods between South America and Europe.
