The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said on Sunday that it intercepted 6,125 cartons of codeine syrup worth N7.3 billion in Rivers.

This is contained in a statement signed by NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Babafemi said the intercepted cartons contained 1,050,000 bottles of the opioid worth over N7.3 billion in street value at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, Rivers.

According to him, the seizure made from six containers on Saturday is the third in the past four weeks.

He said the drugs were seized following credible intelligence and tracking of the consignments from their port of departure by a special operations unit of NDLEA.

Mr Babafemi also said the operatives partnered with the agency’s Port Harcourt and Ports command and the Nigeria Customs Service’s 100 per cent joint examination of the targeted containers.

“At the end of the joint examination of the six containers, a total of 6,125 cartons containing 1,050,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 157,500 kilogrammes were recovered, “he said.

Mr Babafemi further said NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, arrested two passengers travelling to Doha on a Qatar Airways flight at the screening point of terminal 2.

He said the arrest came after they tested positive for the ingestion of illicit substances on Friday.

“The suspects, Aikhomoun Daniel (alias Oladapo Olanrewaju) and Ayigoro Omobolaji were thereafter taken into observatory custody.

“While Daniel excreted a total of 90 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.022 kg in six excretions, Ayigoro discharged 60 wraps of the same Class A substance with a total weight of 662 grammes in five excretions.

“Further investigation revealed that Aikhomoun Daniel actually stole the identity of his late uncle, who was once based in Germany.

“This is a decision he claimed he took to get a Schengen visa to enable him free access to Europe, while his real name is Oladapo Olanrewaju,” he said.

(NAN)