N5bn worth of tramadol tablets seized in Lagos, Abuja, Edo – Businessday

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) said it has seized some 9.5 million tablets of pharmaceutical opioids, tramadol and exol 5 worth over N5 billion.

The drugs, the NDLEA said, were seized by its operatives alongside the Nigerian Customs Service, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and Edo State.

According to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s director of information and media, the agency also seized 73 sachets weighing 8.15 kilograms of cocaine, the largest cocaine seizure at Port Harcourt airport and arrested 7 drug dealers in Kano, over the weekend

Of the figure, 214 cartons of tramadol 225 under 10 different brand names, which translate to 9, 219, 400 tablets weighing 6, 384.5kg, with an estimated street value of N4, 609, 700, 000 were transferred on Tuesday, March 9, alongside 85 cartons of dried Khat leaves with a total weight of 1, 327.35kg by the Customs to the MMIA command of NDLEA.

In Abuja, about 228,740 tablets and capsules of tramadol and exol 5 were intercepted on Friday, April 1, at Abaji area of the FCT.

The truck conveying the drugs was loaded in Lagos heading to Kano, but the truck driver escaped into the bush during the search of the vehicle, while two of his assistants – Usman Abdulmumini (23) and Aminu Ahmad, (22), were arrested.

Read also: NDLEA seizes 339.8184kg of hard drugs in A’Ibom

A Brazilian returnee Nnanna Michael (39) was arrested at the Port Harcourt International Airport, during the inward screening of passengers on board Qatar Airline flight QR1433 from Doha to Port Harcourt on Tuesday, March 29.

Nnanna, who claimed to hail from Ekwusigo, Anambra State, was arrested with 73 sachets weighing 8.15 kilograms of cocaine, which is the largest seizure of such at the airport since it began international flight operations years ago.

During a preliminary interview, Nnanna said he departed Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday at midnight en route Qatar to Port Harcourt. He claimed an unidentified person in Sao Paulo gave him six bed sheets in which the drug was concealed to deliver to another unidentified person at Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.

The 73 cocaine sachets were hidden in 4×1 feet factory sewn colourful bed sheets. Five of the bed sheets contain 12 sachets each, while the sixth bed sheet contains 13 sachets.

An immediate follow-up operation led to the arrest of 50-year-old Monday Alaisu, who travelled from Lagos to pick up the drug from Nnenna.

He was arrested at the airport’s car park where he was waiting to receive Nnenna with the latter’s photograph taken at the Brazilian airport and his international passport’s Data Page in his hand.

In Oyo State, 17.6kg cannabis was transferred along with a suspect, Ramon Dauda, (40), to the state command of NDLEA by the Oyo/Osun area command of Nigerian Customs Service, just as narcotic officers on patrol along Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Thursday, March 31 intercepted a consignment of 10kg cannabis and 12.1grams of amphetamine in a commercial bus.

A follow-up operation in Ilesa, Osun State led to the arrest of the owner of the drug exhibits, Remi Aluko, 44.

Three drug joints were raided at Wire road, Benin City and Uromi town in Esan Central LGA where 188 pinches of cocaine and heroin were recovered with five suspects arrested.

In another raid in Okada town, a patent medicine dealer, Harrison Odion was arrested with 70 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup; 9,638 Tramadol capsules; 16,843 tablets of Exol-5; 80 tablets of Diazepam and 62 ampules of Diazepam injection.

In the same vein, operatives in the state destroyed seven clusters of dry season Cannabis Sativa farms in Okpuje Forest along the banks of River Ose totalling 3.124998 hectares.

At least, seven drug dealers were arrested in raids in parts of Kano with 80 kilograms of codeine and pentazocine injection seized from them.

Babafemi said chairman/chief executive of the anti-narcotic agency, Buba Marwa has, however, charged officers and men of the agency not to rest on their oars, despite the successes recorded so far.

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