The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has urged parents to be more vigilant about the snacks and confectioneries their children consume, following the discovery of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies being smuggled into Nigeria.
The agency raised the alarm after recent seizures uncovered attempts to bring prohibited substances into the country disguised as ordinary food products.
In a statement posted on Sunday, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, warned parents to pay closer attention to children who frequently demand cookies and gummies.
“As parents, if your kids and young ones always crave for cookies and gummies, you may have to pay a little more attention.
There may be more to it than ordinary cookies and gummies,” Babafemi wrote, sharing images of seized packages.
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The warning followed a major interception by the Nigeria Customs Service at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, where officers discovered two 40-foot containers loaded with cannabis-infused products concealed among legitimate consignments.
The containers, which contained items including used vehicles, generators, batteries and fabrics, were found to have thousands of Delta-8 cannabis pre-roll cookies, cannabis-infused gummies and other cannabis-laced cookies hidden inside.
The seized products were estimated to have a street value of about ₦373.8 million and were later transferred to the NDLEA for further action.
Images released by the anti-drug agency showed colourful packages labelled “Cookies Delta 8 Gummies”, with flavours including Hawaiian Rain Pineapple Guava and Thai Mango.
The products were also marketed as vegan and hemp-derived, with packaging designed to resemble conventional snacks.
According to NDLEA officials, the products originated from the United States and represent a growing public health concern because of their appearance and presentation.
The agency said the attractive packaging and appealing flavours could make the products particularly enticing to children, students and other young people, increasing the danger of accidental consumption of highly concentrated cannabis.
