The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested several suspected drug traffickers, including an 80-year-old man, following the seizure of more than 1.5 million Tramadol pills smuggled into Nigeria through the Togo–Benin Republic border.
The operation, which was based on intelligence gathered by the agency, came after officers had earlier intercepted another truck carrying 558,900 Tramadol pills along the same smuggling route.
The first truck, heading to Kano, was stopped on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where officers uncovered 853,000 Tramadol 250mg tablets hidden inside a specially constructed compartment beneath the vehicle’s cargo floor. The 22-year-old driver was taken into custody.
On July 4, NDLEA operatives intercepted a second truck travelling along the same corridor and recovered another 777,000 Tramadol pills concealed in a similar hidden compartment. Another 22-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the shipment.
Investigations revealed that all three intercepted consignments were linked to the same international drug trafficking network operating between Togo, the Benin Republic and Nigeria.
In a separate operation at the cargo terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, officers seized 4.7 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, hidden inside cartons arriving from Canada on international flights.
The investigation initially led to the arrest of three suspects before authorities later apprehended a 44-year-old businesswoman who allegedly admitted ownership of the drug consignments, claiming she was introduced to the illegal trade by an associate based in Canada.
Meanwhile, in Rivers State, NDLEA operatives arrested an 80-year-old suspect after recovering 800 grams of skunk from him in Ahoada.
In Edo State, officers raided a suspected drug warehouse in Benin City, arresting a couple and recovering 22 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 219.5 kilograms, along with 192.67 kilograms of Canadian Loud.
In another breakthrough, the agency arrested a Chadian national and her Nigerian accomplice after investigations linked them to the seizure of 50,000 Tramadol 225mg pills in Kogi State.
The NDLEA says the series of operations highlights its ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating across the country.
