Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a total of 26,250,000 pills of tramadol and 508,400 bottles of codeine based syrup worth N16.7billion in street value at the Tincan port in Lagos and Onne Port in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a statement on Sunday in Abuja, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the illicit drugs were intercepted during a 100 percent joint examination of watch-listed containers with men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the two ports between Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd October.
“Other illicit consignments intercepted during the joint inspection of the containers include 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700kgs at Tincan and Onne respectively, while 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28kgs were also recovered from a container that arrived the Lagos port from Canada.
“A suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested at Ago Palace area of Okota Lagos in connection with the cannabis seizure while a bribe of N10m paid NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as part of the exhibits for the prosecution of the case,” Babafemi said.
- Diri approves N80,000 new minimum wage for Bayelsa workers
- Asari Dokubo: I’ll form an alliance with the North, Tinubu has betrayed me
Also, consignments of opioids concealed in soles of shoes and hair attachments heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Cyprus have been intercepted by operatives of the NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, and three courier companies in the state.
A total of 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in soles of 13 pairs of shoes going to Cyprus were seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on 12th October 2024 and additional 380 tablets recovered from the home of the sender, Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna during a follow up operation in Enugu State on Thursday 24th October.
A cash of N968,880 and a Toyota Avalon car marked UWN 389 AS, were also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest.
Not less than 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection as well as 1.690kgs cannabis and tramadol tablets concealed in hair attachments and soles of shoes going to the United States, United Kingdom and Oman were intercepted at three courier firms by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), in Lagos on Thursday 24th October.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Lagos on Friday, 25th October, raided the Igbo – Igunuko shrine, located at the Alfa Beach, Ajah, where jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,760kgs were recovered and two suspects: Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun arrested.
Another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin was also arrested same day with 770kgs of the same psychoactive substance along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
A total of 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, rohypnol and diazepam as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from the underground storage a suspect, Muhammad Warnos Abdullahi dug in his bedroom at Marwa Coastal road, Lekki Phase 1 Lagos when NDLEA officers raided his home on Friday 25th October. The suspect dug the illicit drug storage deep in his room, covered it with padlocked iron slate, a rug and then put his mattress on top to avoid detection.
In Plateau State, a suspect Fadan Bindom, 39, was arrested at Pilgani village in possession of 65.85kgs cannabis and 18 grams of tramadol, while another suspect Sunday Agbata, 42, was nabbed at Pavwei-Rayfield Jos South LGA with 5,830 tablets and ampoules of bromazepam, diazepam and pentazocine injection on Wednesday 23rd October.
A major distributor of illicit drugs in FCT Abuja, Umar Muhammed, 40, was on Monday 21st October arrested following the earlier seizure of a consignment of 198.5kgs cannabis linked to him at Wuse market park.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives recovered 640kgs cannabis concealed in 80 jumbo bags of fresh vegetables at Ewu junction, Irrua, Esan Central LGA and arrested a suspect, Austin Oruamen, 27, while another suspect Adereti Kazeem, 35, was nabbed with 200 blocks of cannabis weighing 133kgs at Obalayan, Ile-Ife, Osun state on Thursday 24th October.
See pictures below:
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
