Gupta Ravi Kumar Arrested by NDLEA with three Nigerians after N3.9bn tramadol shipment was intercepted at Lagos airport

The Indian businessman was detained alongside three Nigerian accomplices after 2,248,000 tramadol pills, disguised as multivitamins in 114 cartons, were intercepted on Monday, 8 September.

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The shipment, flown in from Delhi on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, had been declared as harmless supplements.

NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said officers placed the cargo under surveillance before seizing it on Thursday, 11 September, as two trucks attempted to move the goods. A follow-up sting the next day led to Kumar’s arrest when he arrived to take delivery of the consignment.

“This tramadol shipment worth N3,990,000,000 in street value was imported from Delhi, India, disguised as multivitamins,” Babafemi said.

The dramatic bust formed part of a sweeping nationwide crackdown last week. At Lagos airport, another passenger was caught with 900 grams of cannabis strain skunk hidden in crayfish, while a separate raid in Ikorodu uncovered a factory producing over 6,000 bottles of skuchies a dangerous cocktail of cannabis and blackcurrant drink.

Further seizures across Nigeria included Canadian Loud from Tincan Port, methamphetamine concealed in courier parcels, and nearly 17 tonnes of cannabis destroyed on a plantation in Edo State.

Arrests spanned Lagos, Abuja, Oyo, Kano, Anambra, Yobe, Ogun and beyond, pulling in couriers, smugglers, and even a couple running a meth operation.

Also read: NDLEA Drug Trafficking Case Exposes Shocking Conspiracy

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the operatives’ relentless efforts, urging them to sustain a “balanced and powerful approach” to dismantling drug networks across the country.