At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, operatives from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized numerous tramadol 225mg pills, thousands of bottles of codeine syrup, and bags of Canadian loud in various consignments meant to arrive in the country ahead of the Christmas celebration.
According to the NDLEA, this successful operation was made possible through the collaboration of the Nigeria Customs Service and other key stakeholders.
The agency revealed that the interception occurred on Friday, 22nd December. The consignment comprised 7.5 million tramadol 225mg pills, disguised as Tamol-x and concealed in 100 large cartons with a total weight of 7,150kg. The shipment arrived on a Turkish Airlines plane with no specified country of manufacture or origin.
Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, disclosed these details on Sunday.
In a separate search operation at two shops within the Trade Fair Complex in the Ojo area of Lagos, the NDLEA’s Lagos Command seized 258 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup and eight cartons of codeine tablets. These cartons contained 49,200 bottles of codeine syrup and 46,200 tablets of the same opioid.
Additionally, during a raid on a house in the Mushin area of Lagos, which led to the arrest of a 70-year-old woman, Selifat Funke Cole, and her son, Babajide Ayorinde Cole, 117.900kg of cannabis sativa was seized.
Babafemi further announced other interceptions and seizures, including a shipment of spare parts containing 200 grams of cocaine, as well as the confiscation of 70 parcels of Canadian loud and various drug-related arrests in different states across the country.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the efforts of the officers and men involved in the operations of the past week. He urged them to remain vigilant and prepare for the next phase of operations in the new year.