Over 2.7 million tablets of Tramadol 225mg weighing 1,650kg have been intercepted at Apapa port, Lagos, by the National Drug Law enforcement agency (NDLEA), yesterday.
The products were parked in 55 cartons of Tapentol and Carisoprodol types of tramadol. The drugs were seized by the agency during the examination of a container marked SUDU 7538656 on Saturday, July 30 following credible intelligence.
The consignments are said to be worth N1,375,000,000.
According to GUARDIAN, NDLEA’s Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, yesterday, said the action comes on the heels of similar efforts by anti-narcotic officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja, that thwarted bids by drug traffickers to export various psychoactive substances to London, United Kingdom (UK) and Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE) through the Lagos airport in the past week.
According to him, at least, five suspects have so far been arrested in connection to the attempts.
GUARDIAN NG
He stressed that on Monday, July 25, a Dubai, UAE-bound passenger Ms. Ebhodaghei Gloria Osenemeshen was intercepted during the outward clearance of travelers on Rwanda Air via Kigali to Dubai.
Discovered in her luggage were sachets of tramadol 225mg concealed inside gari, a cassava product packed among other foodstuffs.
She, however, claimed that the bag was given to her by someone who she spent the night in his house before coming to the airport to help deliver it to another person in Dubai.
The following day, Tuesday, July 26, a total of 50 blocks of cannabis Sativa with a total weight of 27.1kg concealed inside a large quantity of crayfish going to London, UK as part of a consolidated cargo were seized at Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) export shed.
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Same day, a Dubai-bound female passenger, Emebradu Previous Rachael, was arrested with 1.8kg cannabis packed inside bitter leaf in her luggage while attempting to board a Rwanda Air flight to UAE via Kigali.
The Delta-born mother of one said she was into selling men’s wears before she decided to travel to Dubai to expand her clothing business.
She claimed her ex-boyfriend, who lives in Dubai, requested her to bring the bag, which contains the illicit substance along with foodstuff.
In the same manner, In Adamawa state, four drug dealers in Konkol and Belel, two villages at the Nigeria-Cameroon border were arrested for exporting and retailing Tramadol and importing Diazepam into the country. The suspects include: Kabiru Ahmadu; Eric Emil; Abdulmumini Bapetel and Alphonsus Yusuf.
A total of 59.018kg tramadol, Diazepam, Exol-5, Cannabis Sativa, and two jerry cans of formalin substance (Suck & Die) were recovered from them.
The list of recovered drug trafficking goes on and on. Reacting to this, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of Apapa seaport, MMIA, Adamawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Kano, and FCT Commands for their vigilance and commitment.
He urged them and their colleagues across the country not to rest on their oars, but to remain resolute in pursuit of the Agency’s goal of ridding Nigeria of illicit substances.
