Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a total of 31, 124, 600 pills of tramadol 225mg and bottles of codeine-based syrup worth about N18 billion at both Port Harcourt and Apapa seaports.
According to a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi the seizures at both Port Complex, Onne, Rivers state and Tincan seaports in Apapa, Lagos, were made following intelligence processed by the agency on the movement of the shipments from their port of origin in India, leading to a demand for a 100 percent joint examination of the watch-listed containers with the Nigerian Customs Service and other sister security agencies.
He noted that a breakdown of the seizures show that 350,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were recovered from two containers at Tincan port in Lagos last Thursday and Friday with each of the two containers having 175,000 bottles of the opioid.
He said at the Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, NDLEA operatives equally intercepted a total of 447 cartons of tramadol 225mg containing 29, 840,000 pills of the opioid as well as 380,000 bottles of codeine syrup from three containers last Thursday, adding that the tramadol shipments came under different brand names such as Royal Tapetadol, Carisoprodol 225mg and Royal Tramadol Hydrochloride 225mg.
Babafemi said the following day, Friday, another set of three containers watch-listed by NDLEA were subjected to joint examination, and at the end of the exercise, a total of 3,030 cartons of codeine syrup containing 554,600 bottles of the opioid were recovered from them, bringing the total bottles of codeine seized at Onne, Rivers and Tincan in Lagos to 1,284,600 bottles worth N8,992,200,000.00 in street value while the combined seizure of tramadol stood at 29,840,000 pills valued at N8,940,000,000.00.
The spokesman said NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers state last Tuesday arrested a suspect, Eze Emekan, while attempting to board a Cronos airline flight to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea with 1,490 pills of tramadol concealed and packaged as cosmetics of different brands inside his luggage. His attempt to compromise the officers to evade arrest was rebuffed.
He said a wanted ex-beauty queen, Ms. Aderinoye Queen Christmas also known as Ms. Queen Oluwadamilola Aderinoye has surrendered to the Lagos Command of the agency after about eight months in hiding.
He recalled that the former beauty pageant was declared wanted by the agency in January after she escaped from her Lekki, Lagos residence when NDLEA operatives raided her apartment at Oral estate, Lekki following credible intelligence she deals in illicit substances.
Babafemi said the suspect was Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture 2015/2016 and founder of Queen Christmas Foundation, and recovered from her home during the search witnessed by the estate officials include 606 grammes of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, an electronic weighing scale, large quantities of drugs packing plastics, a black RAV 4 SUV marked Lagos KSF 872 GQ, and her picture frame among others.
He said the suspect who claimed she has been hiding in Akure, Ondo state capital since January when she escaped arrest in Lekki Lagos however surrendered to the agency last Wednesday.
Babafemi disclosed that no less than 1,122 kilogrammes of cannabis were seized from a suspect, Mustapha Ibrahim when he was arrested last Monday along Orchid road, Ajah, Lagos, while 816 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance belonging to a suspect at large was recovered from the same location same day.
In Niger state, NDLEA operatives last Monday arrested a suspect Friday Gabriel along Minna-Suleja road while conveying 1,900 capsules of tramadol, 300 bottles of codeine syrup and 600 packets of exol-5 tablets; operatives in Bauchi state on Saturday arrested two suspects: Garba Muhammed, 35; and Usman Shehu, 31,
along Bauchi-Gombe road while transporting 308 blocks of cannabis weighing 246.4 kilogrammes, concealed in false compartment of a J5 bus marked Edo state URM 38 ZY.
The spokesman said commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
In his response to the latest seizures and arrests, Chairman/ Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended all the officers and men of PHPC, Tincan and the Special Operations Unit of the Agency that had been working on the targeted containers for their vigilance and professionalism.
He equally praised the support received from other stakeholders at the ports that enabled the seamless and successful operations in the course of targeting the shipments, while applauding operatives in Lagos, Niger, Bauchi and PHIA as well as other commands across the country for their diligence and balance in their drug demand reduction and drug supply reduction efforts.
Michael Olugbode
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