The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has impounded 892,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N6.2468 billion in street value.
This is contained in a statement issued by NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi on Sunday
Babafemi said the codeine-based syrup were recovered from five containers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state during a joint examination of the containers with men of the Nigeria Customs and other port stakeholders on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th August 2024.
“The bottles of the opioid were packed in 5,337 cartons with a gross weight of 133,860 kilograms and shipped in five containers from India,” he said.
In Ekiti State, Babafemi disclosed that NDLEA operatives supported by men of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies as well as community youths on Wednesday, 14th August raided the Ise forest reserve, Saalaja camp, Ise-Ekiti, where 21,800 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa on 20 hectares of farm land were destroyed.
“While the duo of Joseph Apeh, 45, and Diamond Nnabuike, 21, were arrested with 145,400 pills of tramadol on Monday 12th August at Gadar Tamburawa, area of Kano, NDLEA operatives in Ogun state on Tuesday 13th August arrested 70-year-old Fidelis Egede and three others: Samuel Sylvanus, 31; Jato Samson, 33; and Francis Blessing, 28, when a cannabis plantation on six hectares was raided at Alaka village.
“In Abuja, NDLEA officers on patrol along Kwali-Gwagwalada expressway on Tuesday 13th August intercepted a truck from which 30,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered and three suspects: Ifeanyi Sunday, Jeremiah Paul and Edet Ubokobong arrested.
“While operatives in Niger state on Thursday 15th August arrested Ifeanyi Chukwueze in Kontagora town with 28, 500 pills of tramadol concealed in a loudspeaker, their counterparts in Kogi state on Wednesday 14th August nabbed Abba Yakubu with 40,000 pills of the same opioid heading to Kontagora. Another suspect, Tochukwu Onah, 39, was arrested by NDLEA officers at Paparanda, Lokoja on Thursday 15th August, 2024, with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection,” he added.