The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has thwarted an attempt to smuggle into Nigeria 98 cartons containing 5,122,900 pills of tramadol 225mg with an estimated street value of about N3.7 billion.

A statement by NDLEA director of media and advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday in Abuja, said a suspect was arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos in connection.

He said the attempt was foiled through the robust synergy between Nigeria Customs Service and NDLEA officers at the airport and those at the DHL cargo warehouse.

“Preliminary findings revealed that the consignments were imported from India and Pakistan, while some of the seized consignments had Freetown, Sierra Leone as the final destination,” he said.

He said the agency also intercepted 48,380 tramadol pills along Ewohimi road, heading toward Kabba in Kogi.

Mr Babafemi stated that the consignment were loaded in a commercial bus marked KAK 66 XA, noting that the NDLEA operatives apprehended the bus driver, Ibrahim John.

Mr Babafemi said that 46,000 capsules of tramadol were seized from another suspect, Paul Ajaegbu, 36, along Owerri -Aba road in Imo, on July 17.

He said 273kg of cannabis was intercepted in a Toyota Sienna Vehicle marked RBC 451 CM on Wednesday, July 19, at Ogida, Benin City.

In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Bauchi State recovered 6,265,080 pills of opioids from three suspects: Emmanuel Onyebuchi, 32; Uche Iyida, 33; and Chinedu Ezeanyim, 32.

This, he said, followed their arrest alongside a truck driver and his assistant at a shopping complex along Maiduguri Bye-Pass in Bauchi on Wednesday.

He added that a follow-up search of the residence of Mr Iyida on Friday led to the recovery of 999,500 tablets of Exol-5 at a shop close to the market at Hong Road, Gombi, Adamawa, on July 21.

According to him, two suspects: Abubakar Suleiman, 30 and Shehu Garba (aka Shagari), 29, were arrested along Keffi – Akwanga road on July 18 in a Peugeot J5 vehicle loaded with 1,608.4 kilograms of cannabis sativa.

He said the consignment was loaded in Edo state and meant for distribution in Bauchi state.

“Meanwhile, a total of 1,556.1kg of cannabis was recovered from two suspects: Jonathan Nuhu, 54 and Mohammed Abubakar, 18, following their arrest at Wudil area of Kano State on Thursday, July 20.”

Mr Babafemi said 76kg of the same substance was seized from Yakubu Muhammad, 32, on July 17 along Okene/Lokoja highway in a trailer from Port Harcourt to Kano.

In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Ogun had on July 19 recovered 810 parcels of cannabis weighing 604kg from the house of one Adetunji Abiodun.

“Fresh bid to smuggle into Nigeria, another consignment of Colorado, a synthetic variant of cannabis, through the Tincan Port in Apapa Lagos was again on Friday,  July 21 frustrated by NDLEA officers.

“They discovered a total of 323 parcels of the illicit substance weighing 161.5kg concealed in one of the four used vehicles in a container marked MEDU 7519460 coming from Montreal, Canada, during a joint examination of the shipment.

“At least, three suspects are currently in NDLEA custody over the shipment while a bribe of N20 million converted to $22,900 offered to operatives by the importer’s agents has also been recovered and documented as evidence,” he said.

(NAN)