The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized a substantial shipment of drugs worth N14.9 billion during an operation at the Tincan Port Complex in Lagos. This operation resulted in the confiscation of 25 million pills of tapentadol, an opioid that is three times more potent than tramadol, along with 350,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
This was disclosed by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, on Sunday, September 22, 2024.
The seizures occurred on September 17 and 20, 2024, from three containers based on intelligence monitoring.
The NDLEA asked for a comprehensive joint inspection of the shipments alongside the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
The tapentadol shipment has an approximate street value of N13.7 billion, while the codeine syrup is worth N2.45 billion, resulting in a total value of N14.95 billion.
On September 20, the NDLEA conducted a separate raid in which they apprehended an 80-year-old man, Pa Aremu Shojobi, at his residence in Lagos, where they discovered 14 kilograms of cannabis. Shojobi admitted to being involved in the drug trade for 25 years and disclosed that he obtained his supplies from Benin Republic.
In a separate operation, the agency seized 226 kilograms of cannabis from the residence of a community leader, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, in Badagry. His two wives and son were taken into custody, but Talba remains at large.
On September 15, the NDLEA arrested a 38-year-old drug trafficker, Okafor Ifeanyi Anthony, at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. He was apprehended while attempting to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine to Iran. Following three days of monitoring, Anthony eventually expelled 1.267 kilograms of cocaine.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), the Chairman of the NDLEA, commended the agency’s personnel for their attentiveness, remarking, “These achievements in operations highlight the agency’s dedication to decreasing both the availability and need for drugs in Nigeria.”
