NDLEA Foils Major Drug Trafficking Attempts, Seizes N22.74 Billion Worth of Opioids

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a significant breakthrough in its fight against drug trafficking, intercepting large consignments of opioids worth N22.74 billion at three seaports in Lagos and Rivers states.

According to a statement by NDLEA’s Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the agency’s operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, arrested a 29-year-old Thailand returnee, Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter, for attempting to smuggle out 13.30 kilograms of heroin worth over N3.192 billion.

Simonpeter, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra state, according to Mr. Babafemi had arrived Lagos on October 5th after leaving Thailand on October 3rd.

He had stopped over in Doha, Qatar, for two days before heading to Lagos, where his luggage was routed to Accra, Ghana, his original destination.

However, NDLEA officers intercepted him at the point of exit and discovered that his two suitcases contained three empty backpacks each, with a large parcel of heroin neatly sewn to all six backpacks.

The six parcels were subsequently recovered, weighing a total of 13.30 kilograms.

In his statement, Simonpeter claimed he was hired for a fee of $7,000 to deliver the parcels, with two parcels intended for Lagos and four for Accra, Ghana.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Lekki Deep Seaport, Apapa seaport, and Port Harcourt Port Complex intercepted large consignments of opioids, including 32,607,900 pills of tramadol worth over N12.577 billion and 1,451,994 bottles of codeine-based syrup with a street value of N10.163 billion.

The combined monetary value of the seized opioids comes to N22.74 billion.

The illicit consignments the NDLEA says, were seized from containers watch-listed by NDLEA based on intelligence and processed for 100 percent joint examination with men of the Nigeria Customs and other security agencies at the three seaports between October 7th and 11th.

In related developments, NDLEA operatives in Anambra state arrested a suspect, Okelue Chidera, 29, with 50,000 tablets of tramadol 200mg at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, while in Edo state, operatives raided a cannabis transit and loading point at Aviose, Owan West LGA, where 70 bags of the psychoactive substance weighing 1,050kg were recovered.

A suspect, Monday Akele, 38, was also arrested on October 11th in another raid at Owan Village, Ovia North East LGA, where 110kg of same substance was seized.