Over 350 million Tramadol tablets intercepted by NDLEA in Lagos port
Over 350 million tablets of Tramadol packed in twelve containers have been seized by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The agency says that the containers intercepted in Lagos had been on the watch list since November 2017.
“The NDLEA has uncovered over 340 million tablets of Tramadol at the Apapa seaport in Lagos. The tablets, which were in various dosages ranging from 120 to 250 milligrams, were recovered from 12 containers in an ongoing search of containers at the Apapa seaport,” the agency’s Principal Officer, Jonah Achema, said.
“These containers, which have been on the watch list of the NDLEA since November 2017, were brought to the attention of the Nigeria Customs Service to be positioned for search based on the agency’s reasonable suspicion of the containers containing Tramadol.”
Achema said over 160 million Tramadol drugs had been seized by the NDLEA in a single operation in November 2017.
He added that the importation from India was carried out using fake documents and unregistered company details during registrations.
“It is doubtful that this influx of Tramadol is for legitimate uses; Tramadol, which is a derivative of opiate, is for post-surgery application; but even if everybody in Nigeria undergoes surgery every year, we do not need the quantity that enters our country. It only suggests its diversion for illicit use,” NDLEA Chairman, Col. Muhammad Abdallah (Retd), said.
