Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized six thousand one hundred and twenty-five (6,125) cartons of codeine syrup containing one million and fifty thousand (1,050,000) bottles of the opioid.
The Illicit substance is worth over seven billion three hundred and fifty million naira (N7, 350,000,000.00) in street value, at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, Rivers State.
This was made known in a statement issued by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the Agency, Mr. Femi Babafemi on Sunday.
According to the statement, the seizure made from six containers on Saturday, June 29, 2024 was the third of such in the past four weeks following credible intelligence and diligent tracking of the consignments from their port of departure by a special operations unit of NDLEA.
Babafemi disclosed that the ‘operation’ was carried out in partnership with the Port Harcourt Ports Command of the Agency and other security agencies including the Customs Service for a 100 percent joint examination of the targeted containers.
“At the end of the joint examination of the six containers, a total of 6,125 cartons containing 1,050,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 157,500 kilograms were recovered on Saturday,” it stated.
Similarly, NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos nabbed two passengers travelling to Doha on a Qatar Airways flight at the screening point of terminal 2 after they tested positive to ingestion of illicit substances on Friday, June 21.
The suspects; Aikhomoun Daniel (alias Oladapo Olanrewaju) and Ayigoro Waheed Omobolaji were thereafter taken into observatory custody – and while Daniel excreted a total of 90 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.022kg in six excretions, Ayigoro discharged 60 wraps of the same Class A substance with a total weight of 662grams in five egestion.
“Further investigation revealed that Aikhomoun Daniel actually stole the identity of his late uncle who was once based in Germany, a decision he claimed he took to get Schengen visa to enable him free access to Europe, while his real name is Oladapo Olanrewaju.
“No less than 40.32kg of Loud, an imported strong strain of cannabis was on Friday 28th June recovered in a black Toyota Tacoma truck along Lekki-Ikoyi road when the driver jumped off the vehicle after noticing that NDLEA operatives were on his trail,” the statement added.
In a related development in Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Friday night disrupted a drug party dubbed “Go hard or Go Home. Pick Your Poison”, where sixty (60) suspects comprising 25 males and 35 females were arrested at an apartment in Sun City estate in the Federal Capital Territory.
Babafemi noted that the raid followed credible intelligence about the drug party organized by one Stanley Ikechukwu who was arrested at the venue.
He mentioned that six of the suspects; Victoria Adoga, Hamza Yari, Joanne Essein Joy, Socchima Valentine, Jago Imole and Charles Indobuibisi were apprehended with different quantities of ecstasy and cannabis.
In the same vein, four suspects; Endurance Okon, 24; Joseph Michael, 23; Ovoco Bright, 43; and Goday Abanum, 23, were arrested in the deep forest of Ugun, Igueben LGA, Edo State on Saturday, June 29 when NDLEA operatives raided and destroyed 18,632.22 kilograms of cannabis on 7.452888 hectares of farmland.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa has directed that 20 of the suspects who tested negative to drug be released unconditionally, while 33 others who tested positive to illicit drugs were to be released on bail and will report at the FCT Command of the Agency on Monday to begin treatment and counselling.
Gen. Marwa commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Port Harcourt Ports, Lagos and Edo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity – and warned drug cartels that no matter the ingenuity of their modes of trafficking, its dedicated workforce in collaboration with other stakeholders and partners will always be steps ahead to expose them and thwart their tricks.
The NDLEA boss also urged the officers and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency.
Similarly, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
The activities include; WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of First Technical University, Ibadan, Oyo State; students of Government Day Secondary School, Yola, Adamawa.
Others are students and teachers of Ezeike High School, Nibo, Anambra; members of Mount Zion Anglican Church, Igoba, Akure, Ondo State and WADA advocacy visit to the palace of Oba of Yoruba in Kano, Dr. Murtala Alimi Otitese.
