Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) successfully intercepted a significant quantity of illicit drugs, including millions of 225mgs Tramadol pills, thousands of codeine syrup bottles, and bags of Canadian Loud at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The agency, in collaboration with Nigeria Customs and other stakeholders, foiled the drug syndicates’ smuggling tricks at the NAHCO import shed.
The seized consignments, arriving on a Turkish Airlines flight with no country of origin, marked a first for both the airline’s route and Hamburg, Germany as the source. Cleverly disguised as Tamol-x and concealed in 100 large cartons weighing 7,150kgs, these drugs were placed under surveillance upon arrival on December 11.
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Preliminary tests confirmed the presence of Tramadol Hydrochloride in the tablets. Additionally, on December 20, NDLEA operatives uncovered 258 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup and eight cartons of codeine tablets at two shops in the Trade Fair complex, Lagos.
Further operations in Lagos led to the arrest of a 70-year-old grandma and her son, who were found with 117.900kgs of cannabis sativa. In another interception at the Lagos airport’s cargo terminal, a consignment of spare parts from Asaba, Delta State, bound for New Delhi, India, was found to contain 200gms of cocaine.
In separate operations, NDLEA seized 70 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 35kgs, intercepted Tramadol pills in FCT Abuja, arrested drug suspects in Anambra, and raided a drug kingpin’s home in Delta State. Meanwhile, in Edo state, individuals impersonating NDLEA officers were apprehended with a fabricated gun and a bottle of codeine-based syrup.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd), the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, emphasized vigilance among operatives and citizens, gearing up for the next phase of operations in the New Year.
