N9 Billion drug ring smashed as NDLEA intercepts containers from India

In a massive drug bust, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a staggering consignment of opioids at the Port Harcourt Ports in Onne, Rivers State.

Over 13.2 million pills of dangerous opioids, including Tramadol, Tramaking, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol, were seized during a meticulous 100% joint examination of three containers arriving from India on October 2nd and 3rd.

NDLEA‘s spokesman, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said alongside these pills, authorities recovered 338,253 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, with the total street value of the seizure estimated at a jaw-dropping ₦9.02 billion.

This high-stakes operation, conducted in collaboration with Nigerian Customs and other port stakeholders, marks a critical victory in the war against drug smuggling, as these deadly substances were destined for the Nigerian black market, where they could wreak untold havoc on communities.

But the NDLEA’s triumph in Rivers was only the beginning of a nationwide crackdown.

In Taraba, NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial bus en-route from Onitsha to Jalingo on October 3rd. Hidden within the vehicle’s compartments were large quantities of opioids, including tramadol, rohypnol, and codeine-based syrup. The two suspects, Pako Thomas and Emmanuel Anyigor, were swiftly arrested.

In a separate operation in Wukari, authorities arrested Chibuzor Okafor on October 2nd, uncovering 80 blocks of cannabis weighing 38 kilogrammes concealed in bags of garri, a popular staple food.

The Lagos command added to the tally with the arrest of Bolanle Ajenifuja in Ojo on October 4th. Ajenifuja was found in possession of 700 litres of skuchies, a deadly cocktail of illicit drugs mixed with local chapman.

That same day, three other suspects—Ezekiel Akpele, Elijah Michael, and Goddard John—were nabbed during a raid on two cannabis farms at Bridge Camp, a community straddling Edo and Ondo states.

The operatives destroyed over 9,966 kilogrammes of cannabis spread across three hectares, while recovering 48 kilogrammes of processed drugs.

In his remarks, the Chairman and CEO of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the agency’s officers for their relentless dedication to combatting drug abuse and trafficking.