ABUJA, Nigeria – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has intercepted 750,000 tablets of the opioid Tapentadol, valued at about ₦900 million, at the Lagos airport after the consignment was allegedly disguised as ordinary paracetamol tablets.
The 526-kilogramme shipment arrived at the airport’s import shed on Tuesday aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Ahmedabad, India, according to an NDLEA statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi. The agency said the 11 cartons were packed inside two wooden structures and declared as Paracetamol Tablets 500mg.
However, officers placed the consignment under surveillance after becoming suspicious of the declaration. A joint examination involving NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies was conducted on Friday. “Opioid pills were found in ten of the eleven cartons, while only the last carton contained paracetamol tablets as cover,” Babafemi said.
The agency said officers also intercepted 32 parcels of cannabis, identified as Loud, weighing 1,615 kilogrammes, concealed inside wooden sofas shipped from Houston, Texas, on a Turkish Airlines flight. A freight agent who presented himself to clear the consignment was taken into custody. The agency said a subsequent operation on Friday led to the arrest of a 34-year-old caterer from Ibadan who had arrived to collect the package.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted precursor chemicals allegedly intended for the production of synthetic cannabis known as Colorado. The substances were concealed in cartons of snacks that arrived from the United Kingdom aboard an Air Peace flight. The agency said laboratory tests confirmed the contents of seven parcels, while two others contained cannabis.
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