The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a massive haul of drugs, including 31,124,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over N17.9 billion, at the Port Harcourt Port Complex in Onne, Rivers State, and the Tincan Seaport in Lagos.

The seizures were made following intelligence on the shipments from India, leading to a demand for a 100 percent joint examination of the containers by the NDLEA, Nigerian Customs Service, and other security agencies. Among the seized items were 350,000 bottles of codeine syrup recovered from two containers at the Tincan Port in Lagos on August 29 and 30, 2024. Each container contained 175,000 bottles of the opioid.

According to a statement by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, at the Port Harcourt Port Complex, NDLEA operatives intercepted 447 cartons of tramadol 225mg, containing 29,840,000 pills, along with 380,000 bottles of codeine syrup from three containers on August 29. The tramadol was found under various brand names, including Royal Tapentadol, Carisoprodol 225mg, and Royal Tramadol Hydrochloride 225mg.

On August 30, three more containers flagged by NDLEA were subjected to joint examination, resulting in the recovery of 3,030 cartons of codeine syrup containing 554,600 bottles. In total, the seizures at Onne and Tincan amounted to 1,284,600 bottles of codeine syrup worth N8.99 billion, while the tramadol haul was valued at N8.94 billion.

In a related operation, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport on August 27 arrested a suspect, Eze Emekan Don, who was attempting to board a flight to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, with 1,490 tramadol pills disguised as cosmetics in his luggage. His attempt to bribe the officers was unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, a former beauty queen, Ms. Aderinoye Queen Christmas, also known as Ms. Queen Oluwadamilola Aderinoye, surrendered to the NDLEA Lagos Command after eight months in hiding. She had been declared wanted by the agency in January after escaping a raid at her Lekki residence, where 606 grams of Canadian Loud (a synthetic strain of cannabis), an electronic weighing scale, and drug packaging materials were recovered.

Ms. Aderinoye, who was Miss Commonwealth Nigeria Culture 2015/2016 and founder of the Queen Christmas Foundation, claimed she had been hiding in Akure, Ondo State, since January before surrendering on August 28, 2024.

In other operations, NDLEA arrested Mustapha Ibrahim on August 26 in Lagos with 1,122 kilograms of cannabis. The same day, operatives recovered an additional 816 kilograms of cannabis belonging to a suspect still at large. In Niger State, a suspect, Friday Gabriel, was arrested with 1,900 tramadol capsules, 300 bottles of codeine syrup, and 600 packets of exol-5 tablets. In Bauchi State, two suspects were caught transporting 246.4 kilograms of cannabis concealed in a bus.

NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitization activities across various states, including Abia, Delta, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Oyo, and Kaduna.

Reacting to the recent seizures and arrests, NDLEA Chairman Brig Gen Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) praised the agency’s operatives and stakeholders for their vigilance, professionalism, and balanced efforts in reducing both drug supply and demand across the country.