NDLEA Intercepts Tramadol Worth N9bn at Lekki Seaport

Stories by Chinedu Eze

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that it intercepted 749 cartons of tramadol worth N9 billion and weighing about 31 tons at the new Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos State.

This was disclosed by the Area Commander, NDLEA Lekki Deep Sea Port Special Area Command and former spokesman of the agency, Jonah Achema, who said the agency officials upon a tip-off on October 11, 2024 and November 5, 2024, discovered containers loaded with 389 and 360 cartons of tramadol respectively, weighing a total of 31 tons.

Achema told THISDAY that on October 11, 2024, a 40 feet container from Karachi, Pakistan was brought down at the port for thorough examination and the container was stockpiled with hundreds of cartons of assorted illicit drugs.

On that operation, NDLEA recovered 389 cartons of 225 milligrams of tramadol, which, he explained, was more than 100 percent above the permissible threshold of tramadol allowed in the market.

Also, on November 5, 2024, another 40 feet container of tramadol was intercepted where 360 cartons were recovered and this time, the tablets were in 250 milligrams which is very much higher than the permissible threshold.

Achema noted that the two drug importations followed similar pattern, as the drugs were concealed in brown cartons while each carton is wrapped with a gray and black sack bags hauled into the two by forty containers via vessels with the same Karachi, Pakistan origin.

He said the containers bear false declarations of building materials and auto-parts, respectively, adding that the drugs were destined for the Nigeria illicit drug market.