The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has cautioned Nigerians against accepting cargoes sent from abroad on behalf of relatives or friends without first confirming their contents.
The agency said some Nigerians living overseas were allegedly using consolidated cargo shipments to smuggle illicit drugs into the country, while listing unsuspecting family members and friends as the consignees.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, raised the alarm in a post on X on Sunday.
According to him, substances identified as Colorado and Loud, both forms of illicit cannabis, were among the drugs allegedly concealed in some of the consignments.
Babafemi warned that anyone listed as the recipient of a shipment could face arrest and prosecution if prohibited substances were discovered in the cargo, regardless of whether the person knew about the contents.
“RED ALERT! The new thing now is that some of our ‘abroad’ people are sending home consolidated cargoes contaminated with illicit drugs especially Colorado and Loud, putting their family members and friends as consignees or recipients,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to reject requests to receive consignments when they were not certain about what the packages contained.
“The warning here is, if you’re not part of the syndicate, don’t accept to receive consignments on behalf of your ‘abroad’ brother or sister or friend particularly if you don’t know the full content of the consignment,” Babafemi added.
He said several people were already in detention over similar cases, warning that the number could increase as the agency intensifies its operations.
“Many are already behind bars for this and the number keeps increasing with daily operations by NDLEA officers. Please heed this warning and save yourself of the jail experience,” he said.
The agency accompanied the warning with video footage showing its operatives unpacking large packages wrapped in black plastic.
The footage showed clear plastic bags containing yellowish, lumpy substances believed by the agency to be cannabis products.
The warning comes as the NDLEA continues operations against drug trafficking networks and the movement of illicit substances through international routes into Nigeria.
