National Drug Law Enforcement Agency agents have arrested a man who concealed opioids in soles of shoes and hair extensions, which he was attempting to export to the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
The man a front for a drug syndicate was arrested at the at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi explained the arrest:
“A total of 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in soles of 13 pairs of shoes going to Cyprus were seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on 12th October 2024 and additional 380 tablets recovered from the home of the sender, Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna during a follow-up operation in Enugu on Thursday 24th October.
“A cash of N968,880 and a Toyota Avalon car marked UWN 389 AS, were also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest.
“Not less than 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection as well as 1.690kg cannabis and tramadol tablets concealed in hair attachments and soles of shoes going to the United States, United Kingdom and Oman were intercepted at three courier firms by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, in Lagos on Thursday 24th October.
“In the same vein, a total of twenty-six million, two hundred and fifty thousand (26,250,000) pills of tramadol as well as five hundred and eight thousand four hundred (508,400) bottles of codeine-based syrup worth sixteen billion, six hundred and eighty-three million, eight hundred thousand naira (N16, 683, 800,000) in street value were intercepted by NDLEA operatives.
“The interception was done during 100 percent joint examination of watch-listed containers with men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Tin-Can port in Lagos and Port Harcourt Port, Onne, Rivers state between Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd October.
“Other illicit consignments intercepted during the joint inspection of the containers include 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700kg at Tincan and Onne respectively, while 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28kg were also recovered from a container that arrived in the Lagos port from Canada.”
