N6.5bn Drug Haul: NDLEA Arrests British Nationals at Lagos, Rivers Ports

 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has delivered a significant blow to drug trafficking networks, intercepting a staggering over N6.5 billion worth of opioids and cannabis in a series of coordinated operations across major Nigerian ports and airports last week. This massive haul underscores the agency's heightened vigilance and relentless fight against illicit substances.

According to NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the comprehensive seizures include no fewer than six million pills of high-strength opioids specifically tramadol 225mg, tapentadol 225mg, and carisoprodol 225mg alongside a whopping 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup. The combined street value of these dangerous narcotics is precisely N6,524,000,000.00.

Babafemi revealed that the seizures at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, and the Apapa Seaport, Lagos, were the result of meticulous intelligence gathering and tracking of new routes drug cartels are employing to smuggle substances into Nigeria. This intelligence led to specific containers being "watch-listed" for 100 percent examination.

At the Port Harcourt ports, joint examinations by NDLEA officers, Nigeria Customs, and other security agencies on Monday, May 19, and Tuesday, May 20, unearthed six million opioid pills and 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup hidden within two containers. Similarly, at the Apapa Port in Lagos, a watch-listed container was found to contain 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup during a joint examination last Thursday, May 22.

The NDLEA's dragnet also extended to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, where operatives arrested four individuals for attempting to smuggle 92 bags of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 51.1 kilograms. Among those apprehended are two British nationals, Mhizha Tatendra and Ayedipe Adejuwon, and two Nigerians, Shonowo Imole and Ofuoma Ayobami.

In a detailed account of the MMIA bust, Babafemi stated that one of the couriers, identified as Alexander (presumably Mhizha Tatendra), was intercepted upon arrival from Doha via Qatar Airline on Thursday, May 15, based on prior intelligence. Alexander was allowed to pass through security controls while being closely monitored by NDLEA operatives. He was tracked to the airport car park, where the owner of the illicit cargo, Ayedipe Adejuwon (a Nigerian British national), was waiting in an SUV along with his relation Shonowo Imole and the vehicle's driver, Ofuoma Ayobami.

The operatives swooped on them as they attempted to drive out, arresting all four with the drug exhibits in the vehicle. Alexander confessed that he was recruited during his vacation weeks ago and promised £1,300 for a successful delivery. Adejuwon, the alleged arrowhead, admitted to arriving in Nigeria a day earlier from South Africa via Ghana.

A subsequent follow-up operation at Adejuwon's apartment in Lekki led to further discoveries, including N93,000 and 17,200 South African Rand recovered from him at the point of arrest. A search of his residence also yielded N3,810,500 cash, an Apple laptop, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and four laughing gas (Nitro Oxide) canisters.

These recent successes by the NDLEA underscore the unwavering commitment of the agency to disrupt drug supply chains and safeguard Nigeria from the devastating impact of illicit substances. The scale of these interceptions serves as a stark warning to drug cartels: their efforts will be met with resolute and intelligent law enforcement.