NDLEA Uncovers N6.5bn Worth of Opioids at Seaports in Lagos and Rivers States

A massive cache of opioids valued at more than N6.5 billion was seized by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) last week at seaports located in both Rivers and Lagos States. The operation took place at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne and the Apapa Port in Lagos.

As detailed in a Sunday release by Femi Babafemi, the agency’s spokesperson, the narcotics included “no fewer than six million pills of opioids include tamol 225mg, tapentadol 225mg and carisoprodol 225mg as well as 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup with street value put at exactly N6,524,000,000.00.”

Babafemi explained that the successful interception was the result of intelligence work and the identification of newly adopted smuggling channels being used by drug syndicates. These developments prompted NDLEA and port officials to carry out thorough inspections of specific containers. He confirmed that during a collaborative inspection with Customs and other security units, NDLEA found “six million pills of opioids and 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup uncovered in two containers last Monday and Tuesday.”

At Lagos’ Apapa Port, NDLEA personnel, during another joint examination, located “170,000 bottles of codeine syrup…in a watch-listed container” last Thursday.

In another bust at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, four suspects—two from the UK and two Nigerians—were taken into custody for attempting to smuggle “92 bags of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 51.1 kilogrammes.”

The agency detailed how Alexander was caught with the contraband upon arrival on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha on May 15th, after being flagged through prior intelligence. Surveillance teams discreetly observed his movements through the airport until he reached the parking lot. There, he met up with “Adejuwon, who is a Nigerian British, along with his relation Shonowo Imole and the driver of the vehicle, Ofuoma Ayobami.” They were immediately apprehended before they could leave the area.

During questioning, Alexander stated that “he was recruited during his vacation weeks ago while he was promised 1,300 British Pounds after a successful delivery of the consignment in Lagos.”
The leader of the operation, “Ayedipe Adejuwon, confessed that he arrived in Nigeria a day earlier from South Africa through Ghana.”

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