NDLEA Intercepts US, Europe-bound Drugs in Shoe Soles, N16.6b Opioids at Seaports

… Recovers 2,760kg Illicit Consignments in Lagos Shrine, Underground Storage in Lekki

Consignments of opioids concealed in soles of shoes and hair attachments heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Cyprus have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos and three courier companies in the state.

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 12^th October 2024 and additional 380 tablets recovered from the home of the sender, Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna during a follow up operation in Enugu on Thursday 24^th October. 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.

Not less than 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection as well as 1.690kg 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 on Thursday 24^th October.

In the same vein, a total of Twenty Six Million Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand (26,250,000) pills of tramadol as well as Five Hundred and Eight Thousand Four Hundred (508,400) bottles of codeine based syrup worth Sixteen Billion Six Hundred and Eighty Three Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N16, 683, 800,000) 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 between Tuesday 22^nd and Wednesday 23^rd October.

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 700kg at Tincan and Onne respectively, while 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28kg were also recovered from a container that arrived the Lagos port from Canada. A suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested at Ago Palace area of Okota Lagos in connection with the cannabis seizure while a bribe of N10million 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 on Friday 25^th October raided the Igbo – Igunuko shrine, located at the Alfa Beach, Ajah, where jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,760kg were recovered and two suspects: Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun arrested. Another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin was also arrested same day with 770kg of the same psychoactive substance along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

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 Warnos Abdullahi dug in his bedroom at Marwa Coastal road, Lekki Phase 1 Lagos when NDLEA officers raided his home on Friday 25^th October. 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, a suspect Fadan Bindom, 39, was arrested at Pilgani village in possession of 65.85kg cannabis and 18 grams of tramadol, while another suspect Sunday Agbata, 42, was nabbed at Pavwei – Rayfield Jos South LGA with 5,830 tablets and ampoules of bromazepam, diazepam and pentazocine injection on Wednesday 23^rd October.

A major distributor of illicit drugs in FCT Abuja, Umar Muhammed, 40, was on Monday 21^st October nabbed following the earlier seizure of a consignment of 198.5kg cannabis linked to him at Wuse market park.

In Edo state, NDLEA operatives recovered 640kg cannabis concealed in 80 jumbo bags of fresh vegetables at Ewu junction, Irrua, Esan Central LGA and arrested a suspect, Austin Oruamen, 27, while  another suspect Adereti Kazeem, 35, was nabbed with 200 blocks of cannabis weighing 133kg at Obalayan, Ile-Ife, Osun state on Thursday 24th October.

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. These include: WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Government Girls Secondary School, Tambuwal, Sokoto;  St. Mary College, Awka, Anambra state; Prime Rose Model Private College, Saki, Oyo state; Community Model Arabic College, Malumfashi, Katsina state; Community Junior Secondary School, Rumuomasi, Rivers state; and WADA advocacy lecture to Rugar Alhaji Manu Unguwan Sullubawa, Gombi, Adamawa state, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, FCT, Osun, Plateau and Edo Commands of the Agency as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) 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.