The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a 36-year-old businessman with 1,020 pills of tramadol 225mg and tapentadol 200mg at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

The agency’s director of media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the drugs were concealed in his luggage while attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy, his base.

Mr Babafemi said the NDLEA operatives attached to the Terminal II departure hall of the MMIA arrested the suspected drug trafficker on December 18.

“The suspect claimed the successful trafficking of the opioids to Italy would have fetched him 200 euros from the person he was to deliver them to,“ he said.

Meanwhile, the anti-drug agency also disclosed that a 48-year-old Beninese was, on the same date, also arrested by NDLEA officers.

He said the suspect was arrested at the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, while attempting to cross into Nigeria with 3,400 tablets of 225 mg tramadol.

Again, he said that on December 19, another suspect was arrested along the Okene-Lokoja highway with 28.400kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, and Colorado, a synthetic cannabis.

He said that elsewhere in Oyo State, the NDLEA recovered 125,000 capsules of tramadol and 1,800 ampoules of pentazocine injection in a Toyota Hiace bus along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on December 19.

According to him, two suspects were arrested with 185.4 kg of skunk at Challenge motor park, in Ibadan, on December 17.

“A total of 405kg of skunk was seized when NDLEA operatives raided Owena/Ijesha forest in Osun state, where a suspect was nabbed on Friday, December 19.

“Another suspect was arrested with 14,960 pills of tramadol 225mg at Tollgate, along the Abuja–Kaduna highway, on the same day.

“The consignment of opioids was concealed in two kolanut sacks (huhun goro) coming from Abuja to Gusau, Zamfara State,” he said.

He noted that the NDLEA has continued the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) across all formations nationwide.

Mr Babafemi stated that in the past week, the NDLEA carried out sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces, communities, and other forums. 

(NAN)