The NDLEA has reported the seizure of a valuable illegal drugs storage facility at Lagos’ International Trade Fair Complex.
The warehouse, linked to a wanted billionaire drug kingpin, contained a significant quantity of narcotics. Among the confiscated items were 1.4 million tablets of tramadol 225mg (weighing 826kg), 3.2 million codeine pills (with a total weight of 3,360kg), and 2,841 cartons of codeine syrup (containing 284,100 bottles, equivalent to 28,410 liters of the substance). The combined street value of these drugs is estimated at N4,820,500,000.
The NDLEA announced this development through a statement by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja. A suspect named Paulinus Ojukwu, who worked as a security aide to the wanted drug lord, was apprehended and is currently cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
This recent raid on the drug warehouse follows the arrest of another suspected drug trafficker, Faith Ebele Nwankwo, who was found with a large quantity of tramadol pills in her Lagos residence.
Furthermore, NDLEA agents intercepted $20 million in suspected counterfeit currency during a search operation along Abaji-Lokoja road in the Federal Capital Territory.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), the Chairman and CEO of NDLEA, expressed satisfaction with the professionalism of the officers and personnel involved in various operations across Lagos, FCT, Sokoto, Osun, Imo, and Enugu. He urged the Lagos command to intensify efforts in capturing the elusive drug kingpin and encouraged law enforcement officials nationwide to continue their efforts against drug cartels.