The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have uncovered a significant drug haul at Tincan Island Port in Lagos state and Onne Port in Rivers state.

The agency said 26,250,000 pills of tramadol and 508,400 bottles of codeine syrup with a street value of N16.68 billion were seized in separate raids.

Other drugs seized include 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700kg.

The agency also seized 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in soles of 13 pairs of shoes.

In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the Cyprus-bound consignment was seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on October 12, 2024.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said an additional 380 tablets were recovered from the home of the alleged sender, Okenwa Uchenna, during a follow-up operation in Enugu state on 24 October.

“A cash sum of N968,880 and a Toyota Avalon car marked UWN 389 AS were also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest,” Babafemi said.

A 40-year-old suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, was also arrested in connection with a cannabis seizure in the Ago Palace area of Lagos.

Babafemi said a “bribe of N10 million” allegedly paid to NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as evidence for prosecution.

He added that on October 25, NDLEA operatives raided the Igbo-Igunuko shrine at Alfa Beach in Ajah.

They recovered jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud cannabis, weighing 2,760kg, and arrested two suspects — Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun.

Another suspect, Ademola Oyelakin, was also arrested with 770kg of the same substance along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

Additionally, a total of 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, rohypnol, and diazepam, as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from an underground storage at the home of suspect Muhammad Warnos Abdullahi in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

The NDLEA reported said he had dug a deep storage space in his room, covered it with a padlocked iron slate, a rug, and placed his mattress on top to avoid detection.

A federal high court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced Adrienne Munju, a Canadian woman, to 11 years in prison for drug trafficking.

The court convicted Munju after she pleaded guilty to a two-count charge preferred against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Operatives of the NDLEA arrested the convict on October 3 at terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, during the inward clearance of inbound passengers on a KLM flight at the airport’s ‘D’ arrival hall.

Narcotic agents found 74 parcels of Canadian loud, a strong strain of synthetic cannabis, weighing 35.20 kilograms in the possession of the woman.

Munju claimed she was recruited to traffic the illicit consignment through an online platform for 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos.

The 41-year-old said she took the offer to be able to raise money to pay for her ongoing master’s degree programme in Canada.

At the court on Wednesday, the Canadian pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to her.

After the defendant’s pleas, Abu Ibrahim, the NDLEA prosecutor, called a witness, Angela Mba, an assistant superintendent of narcotics at the agency.

Mba narrated how the Canadian was arrested with the illicit drugs, after which she tendered some exhibits, which include two suitcases that were used in concealing the drugs, her Canadian passport, confessional statements, laboratory test analysis reports, and samples of the illicit drug. All the items were admitted as exhibits 1 to 13.

Deinde Dipeolu, the presiding judge, convicted the defendant after reviewing the facts and the exhibits.

In his allocutus before the court, Benson Ndakara, counsel to the defendant, pleaded with the court to have mercy on the convict.

“We plead for leniency on behalf of the convict, my lord,” Ndakara said.

“The convict pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity by not wasting the precious time of the court and has been very remorseful.”

After listening to the allocutus by the defendant’s counsel, Dipeolu sentenced Adrienne Munju to six years in prison on count one and five years on count two.

The judge, however, gave the convict an option of a N50 million fine on each of the two counts, amounting to N100 million.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested two businessmen – Ihejirika Emmanuel and Iwuagwu Victory – at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos for drug trafficking.

In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the agency also arrested Usman Olami, a Canada-based nurse, for attempting to import parcels of loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, through the airport.

“Ihejirika who frequents Thailand from where he claims to be importing fish into Nigeria was arrested on Tuesday 15th October 2024 while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Thailand via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,” the statement reads.

“In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport on Thursday 17th October intercepted a 26-year-old businessman Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory coming from Brazil via Addis Ababa during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight. His body scan revealed the ingestion of illicit drugs. When he was put under observation, he excreted a pellet of cocaine weighing 22 grams.

“Meanwhile, a Nigerian Canadian nurse Usman Grace Khadijat Olami was on 4th October arrested by NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport during the inward clearance of Air France passengers from Toronto, Canada via Paris. During a search of her luggage, a total of 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, weighing 35.70kg were recovered from her.”

Babafemi added that a total of 162,351 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted from two containers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos by NDLEA operatives during a joint examination of two containers with men of the Customs service and other security agencies on October 15, 2024.

“On the same day, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the operatives arrested one Andrew Joseph Anoriode with 3kg methamphetamine and 1.90kg cannabis along, while 241kg of the same substance was recovered at Gbaji, Badagry area of the state,” he said.

“A suspected meth cook, Agbeiboh Oscar, was nabbed the same day at Abule Osun with 265grams of methamphetamine and different quantities of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of methamphetamine and others.

“Similarly, at One Port Complex in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, not less 7,200,000 pills of Royal 225mg Tapentadol and Carisoprodol worth N3.6 billion in street value were seized from a watch-listed container from India.

“In the same container, 780 cartons of chlorphenamine containing 15,600,000 pills of the opioid, were also recovered.

“From two other watch-listed containers equally searched at the port in Onne, a total of 337,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N2,359,000,000 were recovered from them on Tuesday 15th and Thursday 17th October.

“This brings the total value of the seized Tapentadol, Carisoprodol and Codeine consignments at the two seaports to N7,095,457,000.”

The agency added that in Edo state, a raid at Illushi forest in Esan south-east LGA led to the destruction of 10,590.36kg cannabis spread on 4.236144 hectares of farmland.

“65 years old Benson Upuoni, and 35 years old Sunday Nwaeboyi were arrested in connection with the operation,” Babafemi said.

“In Bauchi state, Sunday Jonathan Ogenyi, a suspect, was arrested along Bauchi-Jos road with 76,600 pills of tramadol concealed in false compartments of his Toyota Sienna vehicle.

“In Ondo state, the operatives arrested three suspects – Goddey Obizuo; Samuel Aniete; and Kuffrey Aniete – at Afo village where 672kg cannabis sativa was seized from them.”

Babafemi said the operatives are relentlessly continuing their war against drug abuse (WADA) and are taking sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities, among other places.

Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, commended the operatives, saying their efforts are a balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction.