Two containers of imported opioids valued at N4.3 billion on the black market were seized by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Port Harcourt Ports complex in Onne, Rivers, and Tincan, Lagos state.
This was said by NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi in an Abuja statement on Sunday.
According to Mr. Babafemi, the drugs were seized on Thursday, Nov. 21, while being examined jointly by members of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and other security forces.
He described the seizures, stating that 168,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup totaling N1.1 billion in street value were found in one of the containers.
The second one, he said, had 4.5 million pills of N3.2 billion worth of super royal tramadol, weighing 225 miligrams.
This raises the total value of the codeine and tramadol shipments to N4.3 billion, he claims.
Mr. Babafemi added that 92 packages of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, totaling 23.25 kilograms in weight, were also seized by NDLEA agents at Lagos’ Tincan seaport.
According to him, the drugs were found hidden in two Canadian-imported vehicles—a Nissan automobile and a GMC bus—when they were seized on Friday, November 22.
“NDLEA officers, men from the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and other stakeholders made the discovery during a joint examination of a container from Canada,” Mr. Babafemi stated.
In another development, in Ekiti, NDLEA operatives on Sunday, Nov. 17 arrested a 50-year-old physically challenged woman, Mustapha Boja, with 286 grams of Colorado and Loud strains of cannabis at Araromi street, Ikere-Ekiti.
Mr Babafemi said that 64 kilograms of cannabis sativa was also recovered at Akinyele motor park, Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday, Nov. 21.
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“Not less than 1,200.5 kilograms of same psychoactive substances were seized during raids by NDLEA officers in parts of Edo state.
“At Utese forest in Ovia North East LGA, 463.5 kilograms was recovered on Thursday, Nov. 21, while 507 kilograms was seized at a compound in Owan village, Ovia LGA.
“This was where the duo of David Ederin, 60, and Afoje Frank, 24, were arrested on Friday, Nov. 22.
“Another suspect, Godwin Okhoya, 40, was nabbed with 230 kilograms of same substance at Okpuje, Owan West LGA, “he said.
“In the same vien, in Kano, four suspects: Usman Sani, 25; Abdul Mohd, 28; Bunu Ali, 27; and Umar Musa, 30, were on Tuesday, Nov. 19 arrested by NDLEA operatives at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria- Kano road, ” he said.
Mr Babafemi said that they were arrested with 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 45kg.
He said that another suspect, Ayuba Umar, 55, was nabbed with 124kg cannabis at Pengana village, Toro LGA, Bauchi state.
