NDLEA busts Tramadol cartel, seizes over N5bn Opioids in warehouse

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at the weekend, busted another Tramadol cartel in Lagos and seized millions of opioids pills and bottles worth about N5 billion from a warehouse in the Amuwo Odofin area of the state.

The narcotic officers also arrested two of the cartels’ kingpins in the course of the operation.

The agency also uncovered and dismantled a clandestine skuchies laboratory in a remote part of Sagamu, Ogun State, where several pieces of equipment and various quantities of illicit substances used to mass produce the dangerous psychoactive substance were recovered on Saturday, January 14, 2023.

Femi Babafemi, spokesperson of the NDLEA Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the agency had earlier intercepted an imported consignment of Loud, a strong variant of cannabis, weighing 4, 878.72kg along Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

“After a near-fatal encounter with some suspected fake security agents escorting the drugs, the NDLEA operatives succeeded in recovering the consignment with a white truck marked BDG 548 XX conveying it.

This was followed by the seizure of 121,630 pills of pharmaceutical opioids and some quantity of Molly from a dealer, Charles Okeke on Wednesday, January 11, at the Idumota area of Lagos Island.

“Another effort by the agency to bring the drug cartels to their knees paid off on Friday, January 13, when operatives tracked and located a major warehouse for pharmaceutical opioids at 17, Sir Ben Onyeka Street, off Ago Palace Way in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, that led to the arrest of the owner of the store.

“Illicit drugs recovered from the warehouse include: 3,264,630 pills of tramadol; 3,490 bottles of codeine, and 915,000 capsules of pregabalin 300mg”

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The NDLEA spokesman said, “this came on the heels of the arrest of a suspect, Olarenwaju Wahab who distributes for the cartel the same day. Recovered from his white Mercedes distribution bus include: 14,690 bottles of codeine-based syrup; 402, 500 tablets of tramadol 250mg; 50,000 tablets of tramadol 225mg and 210,000 capsules of pregabalin 300mg”

“In neighbouring Ogun State, operatives in the early hours of Saturday, January 14, also discovered and dismantled a clandestine laboratory on the outskirts of Sagamu from where skuchies, a highly potent psychoactive substance made with a blend of cannabis sativa, tramadol, rohypnol, exol-5 and industrial codeine, was being produced in large quantity, packaged and distributed in jerry cans and bottles”

All the equipment for the production, including power generators, industrial gas cylinders, drums and kegs as well as various quantities of illicit drugs such as 214kgs cannabis; 1,440 capsules of tramadol; 480 tablets of swinol; 1,440 tablets of Rohypnol and 114 litres of industrial codeine, among others were recovered from the building before sealing off the premises.

In Abuja, operatives of the FCT command of the agency on Thursday, January 12, raided Tora bora hills in the FCT and recovered 350.7kgs of skunk and 794 bottles of codeine hidden under rocks.

“This is even as 756kgs of C/S were recovered at Dawo village, Kaga LGA, Borno and transferred to the agency on Friday, January 13, by officers of the Nigerian Army, FOB 29 Task Force Brigade, Benishiekh, in conjunction with hunters’ group, based on intelligence from the state command of NDLEA”

In Ondo State, operatives stormed Alayere, Akure North LGA, where they arrested a suspect, Sunday Make with 275kgs of cannabis sativa and seeds, while a total of 272kgs of C/S were recovered from two suspects: Nwele Friday, 35, and Egbe Nnaemeka, 47 at Ifo layout, Abakpa Nike, Enugu.

Similar operation in Katsina, led to the recovery of 34.3kgs of cannabis from an uncompleted building in Muduru, Mani village after which the owner, Murtala Isiya was arrested in a follow up operation.

“In the same vein, a notorious drug dealer who is physically challenged, Abiodun Emaria, 40, was on Saturday, January 14, arrested with 6.2kgs of cannabis at his hideout in Ohada village, Uhunmonde LGA, Edo State.”