*Opioids worth N9bn intercepted in Rivers
By Ola Simeon
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 13,298,000 pills of opioids and 338,253 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup worth over N9 billion in street value.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday in Abuja that the drugs were intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports, Onne, Rivers State.
Babafemi said that the seized opioids included Tramadol, Tramaking Quick Action Tramadol, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol and Carisoprodol among others.
He said that the opioids were recovered in three containers coming from India, targeted by the NDLEA during a 100 per cent joint examination of the cargoes.
This, he said were made easy with men of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and other port stakeholders on October 2 and 3.
Meanwhile, a 41-year-old Canadian lady, Adrienne Munju, has been arrested by operatives of the NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.
Babafemi said that the Munju was nabbed for importing large consignment of ‘Canadian Loud’, a strong strain of synthetic cannabis.
He said that the suspect was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on KLM airline flight from Canada at the terminal 1 of the Lagos airport on October 3.
“During a joint examination of her three bags, Munju who was coming to Nigeria for the first time was found with 74 parcels of the illicit substance weighing 35.20kg stuffed in two of her three bags.
“In her statement, she claimed she was recruited to traffic the consignment through an online platform for 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos.
“She said she took the offer because she needed the money to pay for her ongoing master’s degree programme in Canada,” he said.
