NDLEA SEIZES N14.9 BILLION OPIOIDS, ARRESTS OCTOGENARIAN, COMMUNITY LEADER'S WIVES, SON
NDLEA SEIZES N14.9 BILLION OPIOIDS, ARRESTS OCTOGENARIAN, COMMUNITY LEADER'S WIVES, SON
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 25 million pills of tapentadol, an opioid three times stronger than tramadol, and 350,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup at the Tincan port complex in Lagos. The seizures, valued at N14.9 billion, were made on September 17 and 20, 2024, from three containers that had been under surveillance.
The NDLEA had requested a 100% joint examination of the shipments with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies. The tapentadol consignment, packed in 500 cartons, was discovered on September 17, while another container examined the same day contained 175,000 bottles of Barcadin cough syrup with codeine.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives arrested an 80-year-old grandfather, Pa Aremu Shojobi, with 14 kilograms of cannabis at his Iyana Ipaja residence. Shojobi claimed to have been selling illicit drugs for 25 years, sourcing supplies from Benin Republic.
Additionally, NDLEA operatives raided the homes of community leader Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, recovering 226kg of cannabis from his two wives and son.
Other arrests and seizures were made in Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, and Kwara states, with a total of 808kg of cannabis sativa and various other illicit substances recovered.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the Agency for their operational successes and balanced approach to drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.
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