NDLEA uncovers major cross-border drug operation, recovers 1.63m Tramadol pills (VIDEO)

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dealt another major blow to a transnational drug trafficking syndicate, intercepting 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in specially fabricated compartments of two articulated trucks transporting the illicit consignment from Togo through the Benin Republic into Nigeria.

The latest intelligence-driven operation comes barely a week after operatives of the agency recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol hidden in the false-bottom compartment of another truck that entered Lagos through the same Togo-Benin Republic corridor, confirming an ongoing crackdown on a well-coordinated international drug trafficking network.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the first trailer, which was heading to Kano, was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway after being tracked by intelligence operatives.

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A search of the vehicle uncovered 853,000 pills of tramadol (250mg) concealed beneath the cargo floor in a specially fabricated compartment. The truck driver, 22-year-old Jabir Kabiru, was arrested.

Two days later, on July 4, NDLEA operatives intercepted a second trailer travelling along the same Lagos-Ibadan Expressway towards Kano. Officers recovered another 777,000 pills of tramadol (250mg), similarly hidden beneath the cargo floor, and arrested the 22-year-old driver, Muhammed Nuhu.

Investigations by the agency revealed that the two trucks, alongside another intercepted on June 21, belonged to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria route.

In another operation, NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted two consignments of Canadian Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing a combined 4.7 kilograms.

The illicit drugs arrived from Canada in cartons boldly labelled “Odugwu” aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights that landed on June 24 and July 3 respectively.

Investigations initially led to the arrest of two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga. A third suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was later apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to claim the consignments.

Further investigations resulted in the arrest of the alleged owner of the shipment, 44-year-old businesswoman Chioma Nneka Mokeme, on July 7 in a joint operation with officers of the Nigeria Police Area C Command, Surulere, Lagos.

According to the NDLEA, Mokeme, who said she operates a printing business, confessed that a Canada-based associate identified as Agbons Collins introduced her to the illicit drug trade.

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In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives arrested an 80-year-old man, Chika Ugwoji, for allegedly dealing in illicit drugs.

The octogenarian was apprehended in Ahoada on July 14 and was found in possession of 800 grams of skunk, a strain of cannabis.

In Edo State, operatives raided an alleged drug warehouse along Sapele Road in Benin City, leading to the arrest of a couple, Christian Chukwuka, 32, and Nwanneka Christian, 33.

The raid resulted in the seizure of 22 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 219.5 kilograms, alongside compressed blocks of Canadian Loud with a gross weight of 192.67 kilograms.

The agency also announced the arrest of a Chadian national, Hajara Abdullahi, 38, and her Nigerian accomplice, Abdulkarim Jidda, 44, in Lagos.

The arrests followed investigations into the seizure of 50,000 pills of tramadol (225mg) intercepted in Kogi State on July 12. The consignment was traced to the suspects, who were eventually apprehended in the Apapa area of Lagos.

Beyond enforcement activities, the agency said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign continued nationwide, with sensitisation lectures held in schools across Katsina, Enugu, Lagos, Rivers, Ekiti and Kano states.

The campaign targeted students and staff of institutions including Government Day Junior Secondary School, Bakori; Colliery Technical School, Ngwo; Starlight College, Iganmu-Ijora; Community Secondary School, Kono; Odoro High School, Ikole-Ekiti; and Government Junior Secondary School, Gabasawa.

Commending officers attached to the MMIA, Lagos, Rivers, Edo and Kogi commands, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised their professionalism and vigilance.

He said the arrests and seizures had significantly strengthened the agency’s ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria, urging operatives nationwide to remain alert and sustain the momentum in the fight against illicit drugs.