By Adedapo Adesanya
At least 1,760,460 pills of Tramadol and other opioids have been intercepted hidden in Indomie noodles packs and others at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, as well as in Gombe State.
While over 600,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg coming from Karachi, Pakistan, in two separate shipments on Ethiopian Airlines flights, were intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport on December 12 and 13; 5,960 pills of Rohypnol concealed in 60 packs of Indomie noodles going to Johannesburg, South Africa were also seized at the SAHCO export shed of the airport on Wednesday, December 14.
According to a Sunday communique by NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, a female freight agent, Ms Olaleye Adeola, has already been arrested in connection with the noodles consignment.
In another vein, an attempt by a drug dealer, Chucks Kalu, 29, to smuggle into Kano 26kgs of cannabis concealed inside packs of blenders was thwarted by operatives who intercepted the consignment along Abuja-Kaduna express road and later arrested him in a follow-up operation in Kano.
This is just as another suspect, Mr Rabilu Sa’ad Abubakar, 42, was also arrested in a follow-up operation in Kano following the seizure of his consignment of 1,980 bottles of cough syrup with codeine, concealed inside cartons, were seized along Abuja-Kaduna express road.
Similarly, in Bauchi State, operatives on Saturday, December 17, arrested Mr Muhammed Ahmed, 40, with 288 blocks of cannabis Sativa weighing 244.5Kg in the Darazo area of the state, while in Delta state, NDLEA officers stormed the home of a suspected drug kingpin, Mr Okrika Kingsley Ozioma, at Usiefurum town, Ughelli South LGA, where an underground drug bunk was uncovered in a three-bedroom bungalow building owned by the suspect who is now on the run. 17.6kgs of C/S were recovered from the bunk in addition to a 2003 Silver Golf car with registration number Lagos KJA 572 AZ used to distribute drugs within and outside Warri.
In Oyo state, a suspect, one Mr Yusuf Ayinde, 40, was arrested with 50.4kgs of Cannabis in his residence at Idi-Ose via Amuloko, Ona-Ara LGA, on Saturday, December 17.
Modupe Gbadeyanka