NDLEA seizes N22.7 billion worth of opioids, arrests Thailand returnee with N3.1 billion heroin
By Uzair Adam
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made significant strides in its ongoing war against drug trafficking, intercepting a total of N22.7 billion worth of opioids at three major seaports.
In a separate incident, operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, arrested Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter, a Thailand returnee, for attempting to smuggle heroin valued at over N3.1 billion.
Oguejiofor, a 29-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering from Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University in Anambra State, was apprehended on October 7, 2024, while trying to exit the airport with the illicit drug hidden in six backpacks packed inside two large suitcases.
The heroin, weighing 13.30 kilograms, was carefully sewn into the backpacks.
According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Oguejiofor had travelled from Thailand to Lagos via Qatar Airways, stopping over in Doha.
Upon arriving in Lagos, he requested his luggage, which was initially routed to Accra, Ghana, to be rerouted back to Nigeria in an attempt to avoid security checks.
NDLEA officers intercepted the luggage, leading to the discovery of the heroin.
Oguejiofor claimed that he was paid $7,000 to deliver the drugs, with two parcels intended for Lagos and the remaining four for Accra.
In related operations, NDLEA officers at the Lekki Deep Seaport, Apapa Seaport in Lagos, and the Port Harcourt Port Complex seized a large quantity of opioids, including 32.6 million tramadol pills and over 1.4 million bottles of codeine-based syrup.
These drugs were estimated to be worth N22.7 billion in total.
Meanwhile, operatives in Anambra State also arrested a suspect with 50,000 tramadol tablets, and in Edo State, NDLEA officers recovered 1,050 kilograms of cannabis during a raid at a transit point.