The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a total of 32,607,900 pills of tramadol worth over N12.5 billion, as well as 1.4million bottles of codeine-based syrup with a street value of N10.2 billion at different seaports in Nigeria
The ports are: Lekki Deep seaport and Apapa seaport in Lagos, as well as Onne port in Rivers state.
The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the combined monetary value of the seized opioids comes to N22.7 billion.
He said that the illicit consignments were seized from containers watch listed by NDLEA based on intelligence and processed for 100 per cent joint examination.
This, he said was with the help of men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at the three seaports between Monday Oct. 7 and Friday October 11.
Similarly, the NDLEA has also arrested a Thailand returnee Simon Peter Oguejiofor for importing 13.30 kilograms of heroin worth more than N3.192billion at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos.
The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi said that NDLEA operatives intercepted large consignments of Opioids with combined monetary value of more than N22.7 billion at three seaports in Lagos.
He said that Oguejiofor was arrested on Monday Oct. 7 while attempting to smuggle out of the airport the illicit drug concealed in six backpacks and then packed into two big suitcases.
He added that the 29-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra state, had left Thailand on Oct. 3 on Qatar Airways flight and stopped over in Doha.
This, he said was where he spent two days before heading to Lagos while his luggage was routed to Accra, Ghana, his original destination.
“After arriving Lagos on the Oct. 5, he contacted the airline to reroute his luggage to Nigeria so that he can pick them up as rush bags in a bit to beat security checks.
“However, NDLEA officers intercepted him at the point of exit. A search of his two suitcases revealed three empty backpacks in each box with a large parcel of heroin neatly sewn to all the six backpacks.
“The six parcels were subsequently recovered with a gross weight of 13.30kg.
“In his statement, Oguejiofor claimed he was hired for a fee of 7,000 dollars upon successful delivery of the parcels. He said he was to deliver two parcels in Lagos and the other four parcels in Accra, Ghana.”
