By Tolulope Popoola
No fewer than 2,750,000 tablets of 225mg Tramadol, weighing 1,650 kilograms and worth N1, 375, 000,000 have been seized at the Apapa port in Lagos, by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
The consignment which was packed in 55 cartons of Tapentadol and Carisoprodol types of Tramadol was seized during an examination of a container with the number SUDU 7538656 on Saturday 30th July following credible intelligence.
The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, stated that this comes on the heels of similar efforts by the anti-narcotic officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja that thwarted bids by drug traffickers to export various psychoactive substances to London, UK and Dubai (UAE) through the Lagos airport in the past week.
At least, five suspects have so far been arrested in connection to the attempts and he added that on Monday 25th July, a Dubai, UAE bound passenger Ms. Ebhodaghei Gloria Osenemeshen, was caught during the outward clearance of travellers on Rwanda Air via Kigali to Dubai.
Babafemi said, “Discovered in her luggage were sachets of Tramadol 225mg concealed inside garri, a cassava product packed among other foodstuffs.
”She, however, claimed that the bag was given to her by someone in whose house she passed the night before coming to the airport to help deliver to another person in Dubai.
”The following day, Tuesday, 26th July, a total of 50 blocks of cannabis sativa with a total weight of 27.1kg concealed inside large quantity of crayfish going to London, UK as part of a consolidated cargo were seized at the SAHCO export shed,” he said.
Babafemi added that on the same day, a Dubai bound female passenger, Emebradu Previous Rachael, was arrested with 1.8kg cannabis packed inside bitter leaf in her luggage while attempting to board Rwanda Air flight to UAE via Kigali.
“The mother of one who hails from Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State said she was into sales of men’s wears before she decided to travel to Dubai to expand her clothing business.
”She claimed that her ex-boyfriend that lives in Dubai, requested her to bring the bag, which contains the illicit substance along with foodstuff.
”In the same vein, operatives at the NAHCO import shed of the airport on Saturday 30th July evacuated cartons of khat leaf with a total weight of 51.50kg.
”The consignment had earlier come in from Sierra Leone on Royal Air Moroc flight,” he said.
