Europe-bound cocaine consignments intercepted in sanitary pads

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted consignments of cocaine and pharmaceutical opioids concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads and hair treatment cream containers heading to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Cyprus at three courier companies in Lagos.

In a statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, he said in one of the companies, not less than 30 parcels of cocaine, weighing 1.1 kilograms, concealed in hair cream containers, were recovered by the NDLEA officers during the examination of cargoes going to Ireland on September 3, 2024.

“Another consignment of 24 parcels of cocaine, weighing 862 grams, also hidden in hair cream containers meant for delivery in the UK was equally intercepted at the same company on September 6.

“In the same vein, a total of 525 pills of tramadol 225mg and ecstasy (MDMA) concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads going to Cyprus were seized at another courier firm in Lagos by the NDLEA on September 3 while a shipment of 200 ampoules of promethazine injection and pentazocine injection hidden in food items and herbs heading to London, UK, was also seized by operatives on Wednesday, September 4,” Babafemi added.

He noted that operators of the agency had intercepted another consignment of tramadol 225mg buried in granulated melon that came from Cameroon to South Africa on September 6.

At the Port Harcourt International Airport, Babafemi said no fewer than 550,000 pills of tramadol were intercepted on September 2 during a joint examination of a cargo that came from Delhi, India, with men of the Nigerian Customs Service.

“A suspect was already arrested in connection with the seizure,” he added.

In Ekiti State, Babafemi said the NDLEA supported by men of the Nigerian Army on  September 3 stormed three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve, in the Ise/Orun Local Government Area where over 100,000 kilograms of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farmland were destroyed.

He added, “The affected settlements include: Aba Saalaja with 23 hectares; Aba Paanu with 12 hectares and Aba Arogunmatidi with 16 hectares, all within the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve.”

Babafemi also said a total of eight suspects were arrested with different illicit drugs on September 6 in Kaduna State.

He said, “Two suspects: Bala Musa, 42, and Danladi Muhammad, 44, were arrested on Friday, September 6, along the Toro-Jos Road, Kaduna with 305kg cannabis concealed in a false compartment of a J5 boxer bus marked YLA 682 XM, while another suspect, Aminu Ayuba, 24, was arrested in possession of 18 kilograms of same substance at Makarfi town.

“Two others: Umar Usman, 40, and Zubairu Kabiru, 45, were arrested along the Zaria- Kaduna Highway in possession of 1,300 tablets of tramadol, all the same day.” Babafemi also said arrests were made in Jigawa and Kogi states.

He said, “In Jigawa State, Uzairu Ya’u, 30, was nabbed with 32.6kg of cannabis on Thursday, September 5, at Koran Shehu, while operatives in Kogi on Wednesday, September 4, intercepted 77,300 pills of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 as well as 1,230 bottles of codeine in a commercial bus driven by Attai Okolo, 68, along the Aloma-Ejule Road, Ofu LGA, Kogi State. Another suspect, Mohammed Idris, 56, was nabbed along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Expressway on Tuesday, September 3, with 42.400kg of cannabis coming from Lagos en route to Kano.”

“While the NDLEA operatives in Borno State arrested Idris Muhammad, 40, at the Ramat area of Maiduguri on Thursday, September 5, with 13,100 pills of tramadol, their counterparts in Kano on Wednesday, September 4, nabbed Hakilu Usman, 35, with 25.8kg cannabis and 3,000 pills of diazepam along the Kano–Daura Road.

“In Taraba State, no fewer than 87,790 pills of tramadol were recovered from Musa Adamu, 30, when he was arrested in Zing, while in Osun State, a raid of the home of a drug kingpin, Mayowa Abayomi Awe (a.k.a Bishop) in Ilesa on Wednesday, September 4, led to the seizure of 43 grams of crack cocaine, 23 grams of methamphetamine, 17.126kg cannabis and a locally made pistol,” the statement concluded.