Over N16b drug haul intercepted at Lagos, P’Harcourt ports

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized consignments of opioids hidden in the soles of shoes and hair attachments destined for the United States, United Kingdom, and Cyprus.

The seizures were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, and three courier companies in the state.

The agency revealed that on October 12, 2024, 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in the soles of 13 pairs of shoes en route to Cyprus were confiscated at the airport’s export shed.

A follow-up operation on October 24, 2024, led to the recovery of an additional 380 tablets from the home of the sender, identified as Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna, in Enugu. During the arrest, a cash sum of N968,880 and a Toyota Avalon car with registration number UWN 389 AS were also seized.

On October 24, 2024, NDLEA operatives intercepted 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection alongside 1.690 kilogrammes of cannabis and tramadol tablets.

These were concealed in hair attachments and soles of shoes intended for the United States, United Kingdom, and Oman and were seized at three courier firms by officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) in Lagos.

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Customs Service officers and other security agencies, intercepted a massive haul of 26,250,000 tramadol pills and 508,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup.

The illicit drugs, valued at N16,683,800,000 in street terms, were uncovered during a 100 per cent joint inspection of watch-listed containers at the Tincan port in Lagos and Port Harcourt port, Onne, Rivers State, between October 22 and 23, 2024.

Further inspections of the containers revealed additional contraband, including 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700 kg at the Tincan and Onne ports.

NDLEA operatives also recovered 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28 kg, from a container that arrived at Lagos port from Canada.

A suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested in connection with the cannabis seizure at the Ago Palace area of Okota, Lagos. A N10 million bribe allegedly offered to NDLEA officers to secure the suspect’s release has been preserved as evidence for prosecution.

MEANWHILE, on October 25, 2024, NDLEA operatives in Lagos raided the Igbo-Igunuko shrine at Alfa Beach, Ajah, where they recovered jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 2,760 kg.

Two suspects, Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun, were apprehended at the scene. That same day, another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin, was arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway with 770 kg of the same substance.

A separate raid on October 25, 2024, in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, uncovered an underground storage of illicit drugs. NDLEA officers seized 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, rohypnol, and diazepam, as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup from a concealed chamber in the bedroom of the suspect, Muhammad Warnos Abdullahi. The storage area, hidden beneath a padlocked iron plate, rug, and mattress, was designed to evade detection.

In Plateau State, a suspect, Fadan Bindom, 39, was arrested at Pilgani village with 65.85 kg of cannabis and 18 grammes of tramadol.

Another suspect, Sunday Agbata, 42, was apprehended on October 23, 2024, at Pavwei – Rayfield, Jos South Local Council, with 5,830 tablets and ampoules of bromazepam, diazepam, and pentazocine injection.

In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a major drug distributor, Umar Muhammed, 40, was arrested on October 21, 2024, following the earlier seizure of a 198.5 kg cannabis consignment linked to him at Wuse Market Park.

Additionally, NDLEA operatives recovered 640 kg of cannabis, concealed in 80 jumbo bags of fresh vegetables, at Ewu junction, Irrua, Esan Central Local Council of Edo State.