NDLEA Seizes N4.3bn Worth of Opioids at Onne and Tincan Ports

Two containers of imported opioids worth N4.3 billion on the black market were seized by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Port Harcourt Ports complex in Onne, Rivers, and Tincan, Lagos state.

Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for the NDLEA, made this claim in an Abuja statement on Sunday.

During a joint assessment with members of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and other security agencies on Thursday, November 21, Mr. Babafemi stated the drugs were seized.
According to his breakdown of the seizures, one of the containers included 168,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup with a street value of N1.1 billion.

The second one, he said, had 4.5 million super royal tramadol pills, weighing 225 miligrams and worth N3.2 billion.

He claims that this raises the total value of the tramadol and codeine shipments to N4.3 billion.

Mr. Babafemi added that in the Tincan seaport in Lagos, 92 packages of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, totaling 23.25 kg in weight, were also seized by NDLEA agents.

He claimed that the drugs, which were found on Friday, November 22, were hidden in two Canadian-imported cars: a GMC bus and a Nissan automobile.

According to Mr. Babafemi, the finding was made when NDLEA officers, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) personnel, and other stakeholders together examined a container from Canada.

In another development, in Ekiti, NDLEA operatives on Sunday, Nov. 17 arrested a 50-year-old physically challenged woman, Mustapha Boja, with 286 grams of Colorado and Loud strains of cannabis at Araromi street, Ikere-Ekiti.

Mr Babafemi said that 64 kilograms of cannabis sativa was also recovered at Akinyele motor park, Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday, Nov. 21.

“Not less than 1,200.5 kilograms of same psychoactive substances were seized during raids by NDLEA officers in parts of Edo state.

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“At Utese forest in Ovia North East LGA, 463.5 kilograms was recovered on Thursday, Nov. 21, while 507 kilograms was seized at a compound in Owan village, Ovia LGA.

“This was where the duo of David Ederin, 60, and Afoje Frank, 24, were arrested on Friday, Nov. 22.

“Another suspect, Godwin Okhoya, 40, was nabbed with 230 kilograms of same substance at Okpuje, Owan West LGA, “he said.

“In the same vien, in Kano, four suspects: Usman Sani, 25; Abdul Mohd, 28; Bunu Ali, 27; and Umar Musa, 30, were on Tuesday, Nov. 19 arrested by NDLEA operatives at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria- Kano road, ” he said.

Mr Babafemi said that they were arrested with 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 45kg.

He said that another suspect, Ayuba Umar, 55, was nabbed with 124kg cannabis at Pengana village, Toro LGA, Bauchi state.