… Tramadol consignment from Pakistan worth N1.1bn intercepted in Lagos
Grace Adeleke
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted more than 2.8 million opioid pills, over 5,000 kilogrammes of cannabis, methamphetamine and other illicit substances in coordinated operations across nine states.
The week-long operations, carried out in Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu states, also led to the arrest of several suspected drug traffickers and the dismantling of trafficking routes, according to the NDLEA.
In Lagos, operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport intercepted 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton consignment shipped from Pakistan.
The agency said the consignment was valued at more than N1.1bn.
In another operation at the airport, NDLEA officers recovered 57.80kg of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, concealed inside cartons of disposable hand gloves in a shipment from Singapore.
The agency said the shipment had remained unclaimed for several weeks before a joint examination involving the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on September 3 led to the discovery.
A major seizure was also recorded in Ondo State, where NDLEA operatives intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker allegedly modified with a concealed compartment for transporting cannabis.
The tanker, with registration number MKA 960 XC, was reportedly intercepted along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway on September 4 after its driver allegedly refused to stop.
The driver later abandoned the vehicle at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and escaped into the bush.
A search of the tanker led to the discovery of 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg hidden in a false compartment alongside the legitimate fuel cargo reportedly destined for Jos, Plateau State.
At the Lagos seaport, operatives also intercepted 598.08kg of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies packed in 890 packets inside a 40-foot container.
The seizure was linked by the agency to three suspects—Yashim Dauji, Larry Ifeanyi and Joseph Moji—who had earlier been arrested at Tincan Port after NDLEA officers seized 842.54kg of similar cannabis-laced cookies.
In Adamawa State, operatives recovered 864,000 opioid pills, mainly Tramadol, from a residence in the Damilu and Jambutu areas of Jimeta, Yola North Local Government Area.
The residence was allegedly linked to a suspect, Patrick KC Frank, who reportedly escaped after his Honda Civic rammed an NDLEA patrol vehicle.
In Michika, a 35-year-old suspect, Calistus Ebubechukwu, was arrested with 2kg of methamphetamine.
The NDLEA described him as a major supplier allegedly moving methamphetamine from Lagos to the Mubi and Michika axis.
At the Namtari checkpoint in Mubi, operatives also intercepted Attahiru Hussaini with Tramadol and other opioids allegedly concealed in a Ford Galaxy bus loaded with soap.
Lagos also recorded another major seizure at Gbaji, where NDLEA operatives recovered 2,386.9kg of cannabis, 350 grammes of cocaine, more than 100kg of assorted Tramadol, 9.7 litres of codeine syrup and 4kg of Rohypnol.
Two suspects, Damilare Francis and Emeh Emmanuel, were separately arrested at Agbara with 720kg of cannabis.
In Kogi State, three suspects—Saidu Mustapha, 35; Zaharadeen Salisu, 29; and AbdulSalam Abdullahi, 25—were arrested with 636kg of cannabis allegedly concealed in bags of chicken manure aboard a bus travelling from Owo, Ondo State, to Jos.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives arrested 58-year-old Kelechi Unachukwu along Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area with more than 109kg of pharmaceutical opioids and other psychotropic substances.
The agency listed the seized substances as Tramadol, Diazepam, Pentazocine, Phenobarbital, Exol-5, Nitrazepam, Bromazepam and Pregabalin.
The consignment was allegedly being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck loaded with cement along the Zaria-Kano Expressway and recovered 1,179kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
In Bauchi State, a 25-year-old suspect, Hamza Dahiru, was arrested in a follow-up operation linked to the seizure of 322.5kg of cannabis at Deba town in neighbouring Gombe State on September 1.
Ekiti State also recorded a major breakthrough after NDLEA operatives discovered and destroyed a four-hectare cannabis farm in a forest in Efon-Alaaye.
Two suspects, Chuks Alex, 50, and Asafa Adekunle, 35, were arrested, while 117kg of already harvested cannabis was recovered.
In Enugu State, a 20-year-old suspect, Obinna David, was arrested at Ugbema Junction with 40,590 capsules of Tramadol on September 5.
Reacting to the seizures, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and personnel of the various commands for what he described as their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
Marwa urged the operatives to sustain the tempo of enforcement, warning drug traffickers that attempts to evade detection would not protect them from arrest.
He said traffickers who believed they could reinvent themselves through new identities or legitimate-looking businesses would continue to be tracked by the agency.
The NDLEA chairman also directed officers to maintain what he called the agency’s “current balanced approach to the drug control efforts,” combining enforcement with drug-abuse prevention and public sensitisation.
Meanwhile, the agency said its commands across the country had continued with its War Against Drug Abuse campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The NDLEA said the campaigns remained a key part of its strategy to reduce drug abuse while simultaneously disrupting the supply and distribution networks of illicit substances.
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