Agency Report
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted drugs valued at N22.7 billion in separate operations at Lagos and Rivers seaports.
This was disclosed in a statement by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi.
According to Babafemi, drugs seized by the anti-narcotics agency include over 32 million tramadol pills at Lekki Deep Seaport and 1.4 million bottles of codeine syrup at Apapa and Port Harcourt ports, in a major blow to transnational drug cartels.
The combined monetary value of the seized opioids comes to N22,740,958,000.”
He explained that the illicit consignments were seized from containers watch-listed by the NDLEA based on intelligence and processed for 100 percent joint examination with personnel from Nigeria Customs and other security agencies at the three seaports between Monday, October 7, and Friday, October 11.
“Following a fresh wave of interdiction operations targeting transnational drug cartels, operatives of NDLEA at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, also arrested a Thailand returnee, Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter, for importing 13.30 kilograms of heroin worth over N3.192 billion.
“Oguejiofor was arrested on Monday, October 7, while attempting to smuggle the illicit drug out of the airport, concealed in six backpacks and packed into two large suitcases.
“The 29-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra State, had left Thailand on October 3 on a Qatar Airways flight and stopped over in Doha where he spent two days before heading to Lagos. His luggage was routed to Accra, Ghana, his original destination.
“After arriving in Lagos on October 5, he contacted the airline to reroute his luggage to Nigeria so that he could pick it up as rush baggage in an attempt to bypass security checks.
“However, NDLEA officers intercepted him at the point of exit,” Babafemi disclosed.
