NDLEA Intercepts 1.63 Million Tramadol Pills in Cross-Border Operation

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million pills of tramadol concealed in specially fabricated compartments of two long trailers and arrested members of a suspected transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo–Benin Republic–Nigeria corridor.

The operation followed the seizure of 558,900 tramadol pills hidden in another truck that entered Nigeria through the same route barely a week earlier, highlighting what authorities described as a coordinated effort to dismantle the trafficking network.

According to the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, one of the trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while travelling to Kano.

NDLEA operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol (250mg) concealed beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested its 22-year-old driver, Jabir Kabiru.

Babafemi said intelligence gathered from previous operations enabled officers to identify and track the vehicle before it was intercepted.

A second trailer was intercepted on the same expressway on July 4 after investigators linked it to the same trafficking network.

During a thorough search, operatives discovered another fabricated compartment beneath the trailer containing 777,000 pills of tramadol (250mg).

The driver, identified as 22-year-old Muhammed Nuhu, was immediately arrested.

The agency stated that investigations revealed the consignments intercepted on June 21, July 2 and July 4 were all connected to the same cross-border drug trafficking syndicate transporting illicit pharmaceuticals into Nigeria.

The NDLEA described the seizures as a significant breakthrough in its ongoing campaign against organised drug trafficking networks operating across West African borders.

In a separate operation, Babafemi disclosed that officers of the agency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja intercepted two consignments of Canadian Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 4.70 kilogrammes.

The illicit drugs arrived from Canada aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on June 24 and July 3, respectively.

According to the agency, the cannabis was concealed inside cartons labelled “Odugwu” in an attempt to evade security checks.

The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to intensifying intelligence-driven operations against drug trafficking syndicates, stressing that efforts would continue to disrupt the supply of illicit drugs while bringing those responsible to justice across the country.