The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 25 million pills of tapentadol, an opioid three times stronger than tramadol and 350,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N16.1bn at the Tincan port complex in Lagos.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA spokesman, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. Babafemi said that the seizures were made on Tuesday, September 17 and Friday, September 20 from three containers which had been on the watchlist of the agency following processed intelligence.
“According to him, the NDLEA had requested for 100 percent joint examination of the shipments with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
“The 25 million pills of tapentadol have an estimated street value of N13.7bn while the codeine consignment has an estimated street value of N2.4bn bringing the total value of the seizures to N16.1bn.
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“The tapentadol consignment packed in 500 cartons was discovered in one of the containers on Tuesday, September 17 while another container examined the same day contained 175,000 bottles of Barcadin cough syrup with codeine packed in 875 cartons.
“The third container containing 175,000 bottles of CSC cough syrup with codeine was examined on Friday”.
In another development, operatives of the Lagos State Strategic Command of the Agency on Friday, arrested an 80-year-old grandfather, Aremu Shojobi with 14kg of cannabis at his home in Iyana Ipaja area of the state.
Babafemi said that the Octogenarian claimed he has been in the business of selling illicit drugs for 25 years.
“He further claimed he gets his supplies from Benin Republic, and sells to his customers from his residence between 7am and 10pm every day,” he said.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Lagos on Wednesday, September 18 raided the two homes of a community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry West LCDA, Bashir Talba.
Babafemi said that a total of 226kg of cannabis was recovered from his two wives and son.
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“Though Alhaji Talba is currently at large, a search of his house in Ashipa area of Seme Badagry led to the recovery of 93 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp).
“The drugs which weighed 57.6kg were recovered from his first wife, Asma’u Bashiru, 35. and son, Sadat Bashiru, 22.
“Another search of his house at Aketegbo area of Seme Badagry led to the seizure of 302 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 168.6kg from his second wife Hauwa Bashir, 42,” he said.
“No less than 720 blocks of Arizona, a strain of cannabis (Indian hemp) weighing 390kg were also recovered from a Mitsubishi delivery van marked” MUS 720 XH at Ojo area of Lagos on Monday, September 16.
Also, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, NDLEA operatives on Sunday, September 15 arrested a 38-year-old drug mule, Okafor Ifeanyi Anthony.
Babafemi said that he was nabbed while attempting to board a Qatar Airlines flight to Iran via Doha with 76 wraps of cocaine in his stomach.
“After three days in excretion observation, Okafor excreted the 76 pellets of the ingested cocaine weighing 1.267kg,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Kogi state, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Tuesday, September 17 recovered 700,000 pills of exol-5 coming from Lagos for distribution in Kano and Kaduna.
Babafemi said that a suspect Udemefuna Chibuike, 23, was arrested by operatives on Friday, September 20 along Mokwa-Jebba road, Niger State.
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He said that the suspect had 49,000 tablets of tramadol, 20,000 tablets of diazepam, 100 ampoules of tramadol injection and 50 bottles of cough syrup with codeine.
In another development, a total of 451 blocks of cannabis (Indian hemp) weighing 213kg were intercepted along Azikiwe road, Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Wednesday, September 18, by NDLEA officers
The NDLEA operatives apprehended a suspect Ogochukwu Paul, 33, conveying the consignment to a notorious drug haven in Borikiri.
Operatives in Plateau state on Friday, September 20 arrested a wanted suspect Jonathan Abuttur, 46, at Agingi- Rukuba road Bassa LGA in possession of 808kg of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp).
“The drugs were concealed in 68 bags of sugar and fertiliser while their counterparts in Kwara also nabbed Shaibu Musa with 28kg of the same psychoactive substance.
