The NDLEA has intercepted drugs valued at over N7 billion in operations across Nigeria, including major hauls at seaports and forest raids.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has carried out a series of successful operations across Nigeria, seizing drugs valued at over N7 billion.
According to a statement released by NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi on Sunday, the massive haul included codeine-based syrup, tramadol, methamphetamine, and cannabis, intercepted during coordinated efforts with other security agencies.
One of the most significant operations occurred at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, where NDLEA operatives, working with Customs officials, intercepted 162,351 bottles of codeine-based syrup from two containers on Tuesday, 15th October.
In a similar operation at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, a watch-listed container from India was found to contain 7.2 million pills of Royal 225mg Tapentadol and Carisoprodol, valued at N3.6 billion.
The same container also concealed 780 cartons of chlorphenamine, totalling 15.6 million opioid pills.
Two additional containers at the Onne port, searched on 15th and 17th October, revealed another 337,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup, with a street value of N2.36 billion.
These discoveries bring the total worth of drugs seized at the two seaports to an astonishing N7.1 billion.
In addition to the seaport seizures, the NDLEA conducted operations across various states. In Bauchi State, a 33-year-old suspect, Sunday Jonathan Ogenyi, was arrested on the Bauchi-Jos road, attempting to transport 76,600 tramadol pills hidden in false compartments of his vehicle.
In Ondo State, three suspects — Goddey Obizuo, Samuel Aniete, and Kuffrey Aniete — were apprehended in Afo village, where 672kg of cannabis sativa was recovered.
Further raids in Edo State, specifically in the Illushi forest within Esan South East LGA, resulted in the destruction of over 10,590kg of cannabis cultivated on 4.2 hectares of farmland.
During this operation, two suspects, Benson Upuoni (65) and Sunday Nwaeboyi (35), were taken into custody.
In Lagos, on 15th October, NDLEA officers arrested Andrew Joseph Anoriode along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway with 3kg of methamphetamine and 1.9kg of cannabis.
Additionally, 241kg of cannabis was recovered in the Gbaji area of Badagry, and a suspected methamphetamine manufacturer, Agbeiboh Oscar, was arrested in Abule Osun with 265 grams of meth and various chemicals used in drug production.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the agency’s operatives for their commitment to the fight against drug trafficking and their efforts to balance drug supply control with demand reduction measures.