By Joshua Yousouph
Investigations by Shipping Position Daily have revealed that the Lagos ports of Apapa and Tin Can Island are still safe haven for cartels and peddlers of illicit drugs, such as Tramadol, Colorado and others.
This is even as it was uncovered by our correspondent that clearing agents, Customs personnel, Police officers, and other port users are the most regular patrons of drug peddlers around the Lagos ports environment.
Even though the place had been cleared, there are still drug peddlers transacting their business around the shanties at the port gate and its environs. Our correspondent who visited the Tin Can second gate repeatedly observed that the shanties area across the gate was a den of drug peddlers and users of hard drugs such as Tramadol, Colorado, Loud, Marijuana weed and others.
Our correspondent observed that many of the drug peddlers disguise as vendors of conventional ‘across the counter’ pharmaceutical drugs such as pain killers or analgesic drugs as well as sex enhancement drugs. Disguising as a customer, our correspondent who approached the drug peddlers at different times under the Tin Can Second Gate bridge, observed that the illicit drugs are hidden in moveable carts displaying unregulated pharmaceutical drugs by the roadsides. On each occasion of the visit, no less than five vendors were seen on that stretch.
According to findings by our correspondent, a sachet of 250kg of Tramadol costs N400 and about N1500 for the Syrup. It was also discovered that 500mg Tramadol tablets is about N3,000 per card.
Another peddler at Tin Can Second gate disclosed that a popular hard drug known as “Loud” is sold for as high as N2,500 to N3000 in small nylons, depending on the customer’s order. Colorado is sold as high as N3,000 to N5,000 due to its scarcity and high effect on its users.
Displaying versatility in the business, in a chat with our correspondent, a drug peddler stated that Tramadol is usually shipped from India while Colorado comes from Canada.
However, the drug peddlers specifically alleged that their customers include clearing agents, some Customs, Police, Military personnel, LASTMA officers and other port users.
They said the security officers do send their boys without uniforms to purchase some of these hard drugs from them. He also informed that they also do delivery of these hard drugs based on orders at agreed designated places.
One of them said: “Our major customers are the clearing agents who come around in the evenings to chill and enjoy themselves after the day’s work. Some officers such as the Customs, Police, Army and LASTMA do send their boys without uniforms to buy too. Our customers and few people who take Tramadol, Colorado and Loud know where they are being sold. We do receive orders from others through phone calls and we deliver them at some agreed designated places”.
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Our correspondent who tried purchasing food at the shanties opposite the Tin Can Second gate was approached by some boys moving around with small bags asking if he wanted to buy “smoke”. The small bags contained different types of Marijuana and other hard substances. They also sell a paper-like wrapper called “Ristler” which drug users usually used to wrap their contents before smoking. A pack of Ristler costs N500.
Digging further, one of the food vendors at the shanties told our correspondent that drugs like Tramadol and Colorado can also be purchased from drug peddlers at Marine Beach and also at Tin Can first gate, especially in the evenings.
Checks by Shipping Position Daily showed that despite seizures of over N12bn worth of hard and illicit drugs in 2022 by both the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), hard drugs such as Tramadol, Colorado and “Loud” are still sold at the port corridors.
Just recently, the Apapa command of the Nigeria Customs Service on Thursday intercepted a 20ft container laden with 55 cartons of Tramadol worth over N1.4 billion naira. He said the content which was declared in the manifest as 272 cartons of stainless steel pot, it was discovered upon examination that it contained the said quantity of Tramadol concealed in food flasks.
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