Desperate bids by drug cartels to push out millions of illicit drug tablets through the Lagos airport and other parts of the country for the festive season have been frustrared by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA which seizes 8,381,600 capsules and tablets of Tramadol as well as 56,782 bottles of codeine among others in major raids in Lagos state.
Spokesman for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi in a statement said, an outbound passenger to Italy on Turkish Airline, Ovire Cyril has been arrested with 114 wraps of heroin with a gross weight of 1.80kg during a routine search at Gate “C’ Departure Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.
He explained that the drugs were concealed inside the pockets of four jean trousers, packed in a black suitcase.
According to him, the suspect who confessed that he was pushed into the crime by hardship after he lost his Job, claimed he was promised Five Thousand Euros (€5,000.00) if he successfully delivers the consignment in Italy.
The same day, during an outward clearance of Ethiopian Airline passengers’ luggage at the same gate, a male passenger, Osakue Evbuomwan traveling to Milan, Italy was arrested with 1.55kg of Tramadol concealed in a ‘Ghana must go’ bag.
Mr Babafemi states that, ahead of Christmas, the Chairman NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) had ordered sustained surveillance on some targets at Satellite town and Alaba Rago areas of Lagos.
The Satellite town target was eventually raided on Thursday 23rd December, when the drug kingpin, Ezekiel Ibe was arrested and over five tons of high milligrams Tramadol; 225mg and 100mg were recovered from his warehouse.
A breakdown of the seized drug shows 7,991,600 Tramadol tablets and 390,000 capsules of the same weighing 5,468.894 kilograms.
Commending his officers, Gen. Marwa assured them and their counterparts in other commands that his leadership would always reward exemplary performance while charging them to remain focussed and always aspire to surpass previous feats.
RN
