Nigeria’s NDLEA in major drug bust

In a significant major drug bust, the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted hard drugs worth N16.1 billion at the Tincan Port complex in Lagos.

This operation occurred between September 17 and 20, 2024, Medialord gathered.

Agents found twenty-five million pills of tapentadol—an opioid three times stronger than tramadol—and three hundred and fifty thousand bottles of codeine syrup.

During the investigation, NDLEA agents examined three containers. On September 17, they discovered the tapentadol shipment in 500 cartons. On the same day, they also found 175,000 bottles of Barcadin cough syrup in 875 cartons. The third container, inspected on September 20, revealed another 175,000 bottles of CSC cough syrup.

Octogenarian arrested in major drug bust

In a related operation, agents arrested 80-year-old Pa Aremu Shojobi on September 20. They allegedly found 14 kilograms of cannabis at his home in Iyana Ipaja. Shojobi confessed to selling illicit drugs for 25 years, sourcing supplies from the Benin Republic, according the Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s spokesman.

NDLEA operatives also targeted community leader Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba. They allegedly recovered 226 kilograms of cannabis from his two wives and son. Although Talba remains at large, his homes yielded significant amounts of drugs, Medialord was told.

On September 16, agents seized 720 blocks of Arizona strain cannabis weighing 390 kilograms from a delivery van in Lagos. They also apprehended 38-year-old Okafor Ifeanyi Anthony at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. He reportedly tried to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine in his stomach.

In Kogi State, officers recovered 700,000 pills of Exol-5 for distribution in Kano and Kaduna. Along the Mokwa-Jebba road, they arrested Udemefuna Chibuike, 23, allegdly with 49,000 tablets of tramadol and 20,000 tablets of diazepam.

The agency’s efforts also culminated in the interception of 451 blocks of cannabis weighing 213 kilograms in Port Harcourt. They also arrested Jonathan Ali Abuttur in Plateau State, who hid 808 kilograms of cannabis in bags.

These operations highlight the ongoing battle against drug trafficking in Nigeria, Babafemi said. He said the NDLEA remains committed to combating this pressing issue through effective strategies, as demonstrated by this major drug bust.