Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have thwarted attempts by transnational criminal organisations to flood communities with large quantities of assorted illicit drugs during Yuletide.
They intercepted millions of 225mgs Tramadol pills, thousands of codeine syrup bottles and bags of Canadian Loud in consignments.
The seizures were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Tricks employed by the drug syndicates to smuggle the substances through the NAHCO import shed of the airport were frustrated by the agency, in partnership with officers of the Nigeria Customs and other stakeholders.
The consignments, which were taken into custody on December 22, came through Turkish Airlines with no country of manufacture or origin.
Apart from being the first time such shipments would be seized on the airline’s flight, it was equally the first of such coming from Hamburg, Germany.
The drugs were also specially designed and packaged as Tamol-x, concealed in 100 big cartons weighing 7,150kgs. They arrived in the country on December 11 and were placed under surveillance until last Friday.
Preliminary tests of the tablets proved positive for Tramadol Hydrochloride.
Similarly, operatives of the Lagos command of the agency, on December 20, conducted a search operation on two shops, marked Chex Mat Global Link Limited, at Trade Fair complex in the Ojo area of Lagos, where 258 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup and eight cartons of codeine tablets were recovered.
The cartons contained 49,200 bottles of codeine syrup and 46,200 tablets of the same opioid.
On December 21, NDLEA operatives raided a house in the Mushin area of Lagos, where a 70-year-old grandma, Selifat Funke Cole and her son, Babajide Ayorinde Cole, were arrested with 117.900kgs of cannabis sativa.
Also, a consignment of spare parts that originated from Asaba, Delta State, and going to Malviya Nagar, New Delhi, India, was intercepted at the cargo terminal of the Lagos airport on December 20.
NDLEA sniffer dogs were deployed to examine the spare parts, and dogs were able to identify the particular shipment containing illicit drug concealment, which a physical examination later confirmed to be cocaine measuring 200gms.
About 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, with a gross weight of 35kgs were seized by operatives of the Tincan Command of NDLEA from a container, marked (BEAU 4993525) coming from Toronto via Montreal, Canada.
The container contained four used vehicles, including a Honda CRV 2006 model, where bags of the psychoactive substance were concealed.
Meanwhile, in FCT Abuja, NDLEA operatives on December 18, intercepted a waybill consignment of 25,000 pills of Tramadol, while their counterparts in Anambra arrested two suspects at Onitsha bridge head.
Operatives in Delta State, on December 18, in a joint operation with the military, raided the home of a drug kingpin, Chukwuma Steven Eneriku, at Okanaro Street, Abbi town, where bags of cannabis weighing 353kgs were recovered.
Same day, operatives in Enugu also recovered bags of cannabis sativa weighing 435.1kgs in a warehouse, located at Trans Ekulu, Enugu East Local Council.
Additionally, in Edo state, five persons dressed in NDLEA operational jackets were arrested with a fabricated gun and pistol carved from wood, following intelligence that they were impersonating officers of the agency and conducting illegal operations.
The suspects are: Sebastine Asekiamhe (22); Raymond Otaru (28); Emmanuel Wisdom (23); Solomon Edogamhe (27); and Bonaventure Oghibui (22).
While some others in NDLEA jackets escaped, a bottle of codeine-based syrup was found with those arrested.
Speaking on the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd) urged operatives and their compatriots across the country to remain vigilant and get ready for the next phase of operations in the New Year.
