The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted about 12 cartons of tramadol 225mg, containing 599,900 pills weighing 385.40kg.
The agency in a statement by Femi Babafemi, its director of media and advocacy, in Abuja, said the recovery was made by NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday, January 23.
He said the cartons from an overstayed cargo at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) import shed of the Lagos airport were seized after a joint examination with other agencies.
Read also: NDLEA intercepts 916.5kg of cocaine smuggled from South Africa, Canada
According to him, the tramadol consignment had come into the country in two batches on KLM Royal Dutch Airline flights from Karachi, Pakistan between July 27 and August 1, 2023.
“They were, however, placed under watch by NDLEA operatives since then.”
Meanwhile, not less than 822 kilograms of cannabis sativa hidden in a fuel station located at Ashipa community along Badagry-Seme road were recovered by operatives of the Seme Special Area Command of NDLEA.
Babafemi said that a suspect, Sani Audu, 35, was arrested with 111.3kg of the same substance at Maigatari town in Jigawa on Tuesday, January 23.
Also, in Yobe, two suspects: Mohammed Usman and Adamu Ma’azu were arrested on Saturday, January 27 with 49 blocks of cannabis sativa, weighing 50kg at Damaturu motor park, Damaturu.
Babafemi said the duo of Paul Obor, 38, and Dennis Fuokorighe, 48, were arrested on Wednesday January 24 at a Navy check point, Itobe, Ofu local government area of Kogi, with 318 compressed blocks of Indian hemp.
Read also: NDLEA seizes 300,000 tramadol pills at Lagos airport
He said the drug weighing 190.8kg was concealed in a gold colour Honda Accord Car marked RBC 449AE. He added that they were handed over to the agency’s command in Kogi on Friday, January 26, by men of the Nigeria Navy Ship, Lugard, Lokoja.
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