The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million tramadol pills hidden inside specially modified compartments of two long-haul trailers and arrested suspected members of a transnational drug trafficking network operating through the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria route.
According to the agency, the operation was carried out following intelligence gathered after the earlier seizure of 558,900 tramadol pills concealed in another truck that entered Nigeria through the same corridor.
NDLEA said the first trailer was intercepted along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on July 2 while heading to Kano. Officers reportedly recovered 853,000 tramadol pills (250mg) concealed beneath the truck’s cargo floor and arrested the 22-year-old driver, Jabir Kabiru.
A second trailer was intercepted on the same route two days later, where operatives discovered another 777,000 tramadol pills (250mg) hidden in a similar concealed compartment. The driver, Muhammed Nuhu, was also taken into custody.
The agency stated that investigations revealed all three intercepted consignments were linked to the same cross-border drug trafficking syndicate.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted 4.7 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, concealed inside cartons shipped from Canada.
The agency arrested two cargo agents before apprehending another suspect who attempted to collect the shipment. Investigators later arrested a businesswoman, Chioma Nneka Mokeme, who allegedly admitted she was introduced to the operation by an associate based in Canada.
Elsewhere, NDLEA operatives in Rivers State arrested an 80-year-old man, Chika Ugwoji, after allegedly finding him in possession of 800 grams of skunk.
In Edo State, officers also arrested a couple during a raid on a suspected drug warehouse in Benin City, recovering 22 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 219.5 kilograms and an additional 192.67 kilograms of Canadian Loud.
The agency further arrested a Chadian national, Hajara Abdullahi, and her Nigerian associate, Abdulkarim Jidda, after tracing them to a consignment of 50,000 tramadol pills earlier intercepted in Kogi State.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations, saying the agency’s sustained efforts were delivering significant results in the fight against drug trafficking across the country.
