Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker carrying more than two tonnes of cannabis concealed in a specially constructed compartment in Ondo State.
The tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, was intercepted along the Akoko-Lokoja Expressway on Friday, September 4, after the driver allegedly refused to stop when flagged down by NDLEA operatives.
According to the agency, the driver later abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled into the bush.
A search of the vehicle subsequently uncovered a concealed compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis weighing a total of 2,145 kilogrammes.
The illicit consignment was hidden alongside the tanker’s legitimate fuel cargo, which was reportedly being transported to Jos, Plateau State.
The NDLEA said the tanker had previously become notorious for evading arrest during earlier operations, making the interception a significant breakthrough in its efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks.
The seizure formed part of a wider intelligence-led operation carried out by the agency across nine states, including Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu.
The nationwide operation also resulted in the recovery of large quantities of tramadol, cannabis, methamphetamine, codeine and other controlled substances.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives recovered 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg valued at more than N1.1 billion, concealed among thrift clothing in a consignment from Pakistan. The agency also recovered 57.8kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, from a shipment originating from Singapore.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain efforts against drug trafficking.
The agency said the latest seizures demonstrate the increasing use of legitimate commercial vehicles and other seemingly lawful business channels to conceal and move illicit drugs across the country.
The driver of the tanker remained at large as of the time of the report, while investigations into the drug trafficking operation continue.
