Nigeria’s anti-narcotics agency partners with DEA, NCA to investigate cocaine seizure

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s anti-narcotics enforcement agency said on Tuesday it is working with its U.S. and British counterparts to “unravel the cartel behind the importation of 1,000 kilograms of cocaine” discovered at a port in Lagos.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the cocaine was found in an empty container last weekend. It is said to be worth over 338 billion naira ($235 million), representing one of the largest drug seizures in the country’s history.

“In a swift response to the Agency’s request, officers of the US-DEA and UK-NCA, have already joined the ongoing investigation of the largest single seizure of cocaine at the Tincan Port Lagos,” Femi Babafemi, spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement.

The seizure was formally transferred to the NDLEA on Tuesday after its initial discovery by port operators.

Nigeria is considered a significant regional transit hub of narcotics in West Africa and has also gradually become considered as a key producer, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

“The essence of collaborating with our international partners on this case is to ensure no stone is left unturned and every gap is sufficiently covered so that ultimately we can get all the masterminds of this huge consignment brought to book wherever they are located across the globe,” Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, the NDLEA chairman, said of the investigation.