Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a consignment of cocaine and pharmaceutical opioids at three courier firms in Lagos.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday in Abuja that the drugs were concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads and hair treatment cream containers.

Mr Babafemi said that the consignments were heading to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Cyprus respectively.

According to him, in one of the logistics companies, not less than 30 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.1 kilogrammes were concealed in hair cream containers.

He said, “They were recovered by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), during examination of cargoes going to Ireland on Tuesday, September 3. Another consignment of 24 parcels of cocaine weighing 862 grammes were also hidden in hair cream containers meant for delivery in the UK was equally intercepted at the same company on Friday, September 5. In the same vein, a total of 525 pills of tramadol 225mg and ecstasy (MDMA) concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads going to Cyprus were seized at another courier firm in Lagos by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, September 3. Meanwhile, a shipment of 200 ampoules of promethazine injection and pentazocine injection hidden in food items and herbs heading to London, UK, was also seized by operatives on Wednesday September 4. Operatives equally intercepted another consignment of tramadol 225mg buried in granulated melon that came from Cameroon and going to South Africa on Friday 6th September.’’

In another development, about 550,000 pills of tramadol were also intercepted at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Monday, September 2.

Mr Babafemi said that the tramadol pills were seized during a joint examination of a cargo that came from Delhi, India, with men of the Nigerian Customs Service.

He noted that a suspect had been arrested in connection with the seizure.