THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has blocked fresh attempts by drug cartels to export tramadol, ecstasy, MDMA and cannabis to Milan in Italy and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The NDLEA operatives foiled the attempts, as well as seized 203,879 tablets of various pharmaceutical opioids and illicit substances in raids across Abia, Kaduna, Yobe and Kogi states.
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According to the Director, Media & Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA arrested a female passenger, Odia Emiliana Efe, on Monday, May 9, 2022 while attempting to board a Royal Air Moroc flight from Lagos via Casablanca to Milan with 1000 tablets of tramadol 200mg concealed in food items.
Five days later, a freight agent, Kareem Ibrahim, was arrested at the SAHCO cargo shed of the airport for attempting to export food items hidden in blocks of cannabis weighing 6.65 kilogramme and 24 grammes of the ecstasy drug, MDMA, to Dubai.
The agency also said three trucks loaded with drugs coming from Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra State, were intercepted in Aba, Abia State. When properly searched in the presence of the owners on Wednesday May 11, 2022, 67,100 tablets/capsules of tramadol, and 12,650 ampoules of pentazocine, morphine and dopamine were recovered.
The NDLEA said that on the same day, operatives in Kaduna arrested a notorious drug dealer, Shehu Kabiru, a.k.a Dan-Zaira, wanted by the Katsina Command of the agency for jumping bail and recovered from him various drugs.
A reporter with the ICIR
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