The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a male passenger with 4,000 tramadol pills at the Muhammad Murtala International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, according to a statement by Mr. Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi reported that NDLEA officers at gate ‘C’ of the Lagos airport’s departure hall intercepted the suspect on Friday as he attempted to smuggle the pills to Malpensa, Italy, on an Ethiopian Airline flight.
He added that the psychoactive substance was cleverly hidden within women’s clothing and granulated melon in the suspect’s backpack, as well as another bag containing food items.
“In his statement, the suspect, who is a frequent flyer, confessed he was hired for 700 euros on successful delivery of the consignment in Italy,“ he said.
Meanwhile, in the Amarata area of Yenagoa, Bayelsa, NDLEA agents arrested a 28-year-old woman on April 24. According to Mr. Femi Babafemi, she was apprehended for producing and distributing cakes infused with illicit drugs, notably cannabis sativa. At the time of her arrest, agents recovered a substantial quantity of the drugged cakes, totaling 1.5kg.
Additionally, on March 10 in Yenagoa, a 20-year-old hair stylist and a dispatch rider were arrested by NDLEA operatives for a similar crime.
In another case, an individual was detained with 24,180 ampoules of pentazocine injection, weighing 135.5 kilograms, in Sabon Tasha, Kaduna.
Mr. Babafemi also reported that a teenager was caught with 20.700kg of cannabis during a raid on his house in the Shuware area of Mubi, Adamawa State, on April 26.
In another development, no less than 310.7 kg of cannabis was recovered on April 25 when NDLEA operatives raided parts of Mushin in Lagos State.