NDLEA Intercepts US, Europe-bound Drugs in Shoe Soles, N16.7bn Opioids

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and three courier companies in the state consignments of opioids concealed in soles of shoes and hair attachments heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Cyprus.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement issued yesterday said a total of 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in soles of 13 pairs of shoes going to Cyprus were seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on 12th October 2024 and additional 380 tablets were recovered from the home of the sender, Okenwa Uchenna during a follow up operation in Enugu last Thursday. He added that a cash of N968,880 and a Toyota Avalon car marked UWN 389 AS, were also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest.

Babafemi said not less than 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection as well as 1.69 kilogrammes cannabis and tramadol tablets concealed in hair attachments and soles of shoes going to the United States, United Kingdom, and Oman were intercepted at three courier firms by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, in Lagos last Thursday.

He said in the same vein, a total of 26,250,000 pills of tramadol as well as 508,400 bottles of codeine based syrup worth about  N16.7 billion in street value were intercepted by NDLEA operatives during 100 percent joint examination of watch-listed containers with men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Tincan port in Lagos and Port Harcourt port, Onne, Rivers state both last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Babafemi said other illicit consignments intercepted during the joint inspection of the containers include 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700 kilogrammes at Tincan and Onne ports respectively, while 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28 kilogrammes were also recovered from a container that arrived the Lagos port from Canada.

He said a suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested at Ago Palace area of Okota in Lagos in connection with the cannabis seizure while a bribe of N10 million paid NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as part of the exhibits for the prosecution of the case.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Lagos last Friday raided the Igbo – Igunuko shrine, located at the Alfa Beach, Ajah, where jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,760 kilogrammes were recovered and two suspects: Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun arrested. Another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin was also arrested same day with 770 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

He said a total of 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, rohypnol and diazepam as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from the underground storage, a suspect, Muhammad Abdullahi dug in his bedroom at Marwa Coastal road, Lekki Phase 1 Lagos when NDLEA officers raided his home last Friday. He noted that the suspect dug the illicit drug storage deep in his room, covered it with padlocked iron slate, a rug and then put his mattress on top to avoid detection.

In Plateau state, a suspect Fadan Bindom, 39, was arrested at Pilgani village in possession of 65.85 kilogrammes cannabis and 18 grammes of tramadol, while another suspect Sunday Agbata, 42, was nabbed at Pavwei – Rayfield Jos South local government area with 5,830 tablets and ampoules of bromazepam, diazepam and pentazocine injection last Wednesday.

The spokesman said a major distributor of illicit drugs in FCT Abuja, Umar Muhammed, 40, was last Monday nabbed following the earlier seizure of a consignment of 198.5 kilogrammes cannabis linked to him at Wuse market park.

In Edo state, NDLEA operatives recovered 640 kilogrammes cannabis concealed in 80 jumbo bags of fresh vegetables at Ewu junction, Irrua, Esan Central local government area and arrested a suspect, Austin Oruamen, 27, while  another suspect Adereti Kazeem, 35, was nabbed with 200 blocks of cannabis weighing 133 kilogrammes at Obalayan, Ile-Ife, Osun state last Thursday.

He noted that with the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), while commending the officers and men of MMIA, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, FCT, Osun, Plateau and Edo State Commands of the agency as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures, stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.