NDLEA reports N6.98bn tramadol seizure at Lagos port after shipment declared as maize starch
Nigeria’s drug agency says laboratory testing identified 8,725 kilograms of tramadol powder in a shipment from India, alongside separate seizures at ports, an airport and a Lagos market.
Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said on 18 October that it had seized 8,725 kilograms of powdered tramadol at Apapa port in Lagos after examining a shipment from India declared as maize starch. The agency estimated the consignment’s value at more than N6.98 billion.
NDLEA director of media and advocacy Femi Babafemi provided the account, according to Premium Times. The agency said laboratory analysis identified the contents as tramadol hydrochloride.
How the Apapa shipment was found
A joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies uncovered the cargo at Apapa on 2 October, The Sun reported. Officers separated the drugs from their concealment on 14 October and counted 349 bags weighing a combined 8,725 kilograms. The agency’s account was reported on 18 October.
Separate seizures at Tin Can Island Port and Kano airport
At Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, officers found 55 kilograms of cannabis described as Canadian Loud inside a Toyota Sienna carried in a shipping container on 12 October, according to The Sun’s account of the agency statement. NDLEA valued that separate consignment at N165 million.
The agency also said officers found 511.75 grams of cannabis concealed in a palm-oil gallon in a passenger’s baggage at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on 16 October. The passenger was travelling to Jeddah via Addis Ababa. According to The Sun, she told officers her cousin had given her the gallon; officers subsequently arrested him at the airport.
In Lagos, NDLEA said a 14 October raid at Idumota Market led to the arrest of Elizabeth Chidera Kalu and the recovery of 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets described as Molly. The Sun also reported that officers destroyed 7,500 kilograms of cannabis on a farm in Ondo State on 17 October and arrested five suspects. The arrests do not establish guilt.
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Sources and context
- NDLEA intercepts N6.98bn tramadol shipment at Lagos port, arrests suspects across statesPremium Times Nigeria
- NDLEA intercepts Saudi-bound cannabis in palm oil gallon, seizes N6.98bn tramadol at Apapa portThe Sun Nigeria
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.