The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs in Anambra, Cross River, Nasarawa, Taraba, Ekiti and Lagos states.
NDLEA’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, announced this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that in Cross River, the NDLEA’s patrol team along Ogoja -Abakaliki Road on Thursday, intercepted 170,000 pills of tramadol in a truck.
He said that the agency’s operatives at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos on Feb. 11, also recovered 85,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup in a container imported from India.
According to him, two suspects were also nabbed at Bama Road, Maiduguri on Friday with 60 compressed blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 72 kg.
Similarly, Babafemi said that NDLEA’s operatives raided a notorious drug joint at Iloda Street, Ikole-Ekiti and arrested and detained three suspects.
The NDLEA spokesman said that a total of 83 kilograms of skunk were recovered from them.
He noted that operatives also on Saturday, arrested and detained a 28-year-old female suspect following a raid on her Lekki home in Lagos where 169.5 litres of nitrous oxide popularly known as laughing gas and 111 grams of Loud were recovered.
“Also, not less than 132.84 kilograms of skunk were recovered from two suspects in Taraba,” he said.
He said a total 132.84kg of Arizona and Ghana Loud were found on two other suspects arrested at Wukari, Takanaba, and Sabongari in Jalingo Local Government Area of Taraba.
Babafemi said the agency has continued its war against drug abuse nationwide through sensitisation lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities.
NDLEA also recovered multi-million-naira worth of Tramadol pills from a trans-border drug trafficking syndicate.
Babafemi said four suspects detained following intelligence-led operations in Onitsha, Anambra, and Keffi in Nasarawa State, would be prosecuted after investigation.
He said that the drugs were concealed in the bumper and false bottom of two Sienna buses heading to border towns.
He said this followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance operations by operatives of the NDLEA’s Directorate of Intelligence.
Babafemi explained that a Sienna bus marked ABJ 452 HG was intercepted at Nasarawa- Toto road, Keffi, Nasarawa State, on Jan. 27 about 6 am.
He disclosed that two suspects were also arrested in the vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra State enroute Yola, Adamawa state.
He added that a second Sienna bus was also intercepted, saying during a search of the two vehicles, specially constructed steel compartments were discovered after the removal of the back bumpers.
“This was where a total of 190,960 pills of tramadol were concealed and, in the space, designed to house the spare tyre of the vehicles.
“Investigations revealed that an Onitsha, Anambra state-based dealer, was the supplier of the seized tramadol consignment.”
He said that a swift follow up operation led to the arrest of the supplier at his Uga Street, Onitsha home on Jan. 29.
“Two vehicles: a Toyota Corolla car marked FGG 948 MF and a Toyota Sienna bus marked GWA 23 HH were recovered from his house,”he said.
“In another interdiction, operatives of the Intelligence Department intercepted a commercial bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra, at Abaji checkpoint, FCT Abuja on Feb. 4.”
Babafemi said that a 32-year old male passenger in the bus, carrying motor spare parts in a black bag, was arrested.
“When his bag was searched, 404, 47 grams of methamphetamine; 506.49grams of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis were recovered.
“Also, 262.32grams of dimethyl sulfone, a precursor substance for mixing meth, concealed in the motor parts was recovered,” he said.
