NDLEA intercepts north-bound 2.3m opioids tablets

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday said it intercepted over 2.3 million tablets of illicit pharmaceutical opioids and other psychoactive substances meant for distribution in seven northern states.

It listed the states as Borno, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, Gombe and Nasarawa, adding that the drugs were seized in series of interdiction operations in the past week.

NDLEA’s spokesman Femi Babafemi said yesterday in a statement that 2,325,553 tablets and capsules of Tramadol, Pregabalin, Hypnox, Diazepam and Exol-5 including 7,353 bottles of a new psychoactive substance locally called Akuskura were seized from locations across Kaduna, Kogi, Sokoto, and the Feferal Capital Territory (FCT).

Babafemi said: “In Kaduna, a drug dealer Umar Sanusi, was arrested on Friday August 12, during a follow-up operation in Kano and brought back to Kaduna where his consignment of 50 cartons of pregabalin 300mg, containing 750,000 capsules, weighing 375kg earlier seized along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway was counted and weighed in his presence.

“Same day, operatives also intercepted along Abuja-Kaduna express road 7,068 bottles of a new dangerous substance of abuse called Akuskura meant for Kaduna, Zamfara, Gombe, Kano and Borno. The recipients in Kaduna and Zamfara have been arrested during follow-up operations.

“The following day, Saturday 13th August, 285 bottles of the NPS were recovered from a dealer, Abubakar Ahmad, along the same highway.

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“In Kogi, no fewer than 696,000 tablets of Tramadol and Exol-5 among others loaded into a truck at Onitsha, Anambra State and heading to Maiduguri, Borno state, were seized along Okene-Abuja Expressway on Friday 19th August while NDLEA operatives also recovered 300,000 tablets of Diazepam from a suspect, Faruku Bello, 30, in Sokoto State on Wednesday 17th August.”

Babafemi said the agency also arrested a 63-year-old grandfather, Afolabi Abideen Kolawole, and one Abibu Afis Sola at the Lagos airport over alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

He said Abibu was allegedly a major importer of Loud variant of cannabis from the United States (US), adding that while being investigated for a 19.30kg Colorado consignment from Los Angele intercepted on June 30, a 37.1kg Loud intercepted on July 7 was also traced to him.

Kolawole, Babafemi said, was arrested on August 18, following the interception of a Dubai bound drug exhibit on August 4. He said the grandpa, who was picked up at Ibadan, Oyo State, was apprehended after more than four arrests.

“He confessed that he was responsible for the concealment and packaging of the cannabis inside the black native soap used as mode of concealment. He also admitted this was his second attempt at sending such illicit substance to his daughter, Barakat, in Dubai.

“Also at the Lagos airport, 249,600 tablets of Tramadol 225mg have been recovered from a shipment from India at the SAHCO import shed of the MMIA.