Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted opioids valued at over ₦6.5 billion in separate operations at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Rivers State and the Apapa Seaport in Lagos.
In a statement released on Sunday, May 25, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the seizures included over six million opioid pills—such as tamol 225mg, tapentadol 225mg, and carisoprodol 225mg—as well as 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup. The estimated street value of the confiscated drugs is ₦6,524,000,000.
Babafemi explained that the interceptions followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance on new smuggling routes used by drug cartels. The agency had flagged and placed the suspicious containers under 100% examination.
At the Port Harcourt port, NDLEA officials, in collaboration with Nigeria Customs and other security agencies, uncovered the six million opioid pills and 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup during container checks on Monday and Tuesday, May 19 and 20. At the Apapa Port, another 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup were found in a container under watch on Thursday, May 22.
In a separate bust, NDLEA officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, arrested four suspects—two British nationals and two Nigerians—for attempting to smuggle 92 bags of “Loud” (a potent cannabis strain) weighing 51.1kg into the country.
The suspects include British nationals Mhizha Tatendra and Ayedipe Adejuwon, and Nigerians Shonowo Imole and Ofuoma Ayobami. The drugs were flown into Lagos on May 15 via a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. NDLEA agents tracked the courier, Alexander, through the airport and arrested him at the car park, where the other members of the syndicate were waiting in an SUV to receive the shipment.
Alexander confessed he had been recruited during a recent vacation and was promised £1,300 for successfully delivering the drugs. Adejuwon, identified as the syndicate’s leader, admitted he had flown into Nigeria from South Africa via Ghana a day before the shipment arrived.
A follow-up raid at their apartment in Lekki led to further discoveries, including ₦3.8 million in cash, 17,200 South African Rand, an Apple laptop, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and four canisters of laughing gas (nitrous oxide).
NDLEA said investigations are ongoing.
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