NDLEA Blacklists Tramadol As Highest Illicit Drug Annex From January 2018 Till Date

By LOVETH AZODO, Lagos

Lagos Airport Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Ahmadu Garba, has rated Tramadol as the highest annexed illicit drugs by the agency from January 2018 till date.

Other illegal drugs seized by the agency includes cocaine, heroin, Methaphitamine, ephedrine, cannabis sativa, phenacetin and psychotropic substances.

Speaking to journalists, Garba gave a break down of quantity of annexed drugs by the agency.

Tramadol, he said has the highest quantity of 4,449.9, Ephedrine 119.46, Methaphitamine 42.88, mixture of Cocaine and Heroin 6.260, Cocaine 16.06, Phenacetin 11.18, Cannabis Sativa 15.64 and Psychotropic substances 35.10 kilograms culminating to 4,668.880 kilograms of illicit Drugs annexed.

Pushing these drugs into the country, Garba stated that 43 suspected drug traffickers were arrested by the agency at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.

Recalling the Agency’s performance in 2017, he said: “It is promising, we will surpass what we did last year, it has quadrupled what we did last year, we have done well and we feel its important to tell you”.

Some of the materials used by the perpetrators to carry out their evil act as stated by the agency includes public address system, traveling luggage, containers of spices, noodle carton to mention but a few, these drugs are also disguised as force bottom, foodstuffs, artworks and books for unquestionable passage at the Airport

Furthermore, Garba stated that these culprits make use of airport workers such as cleaners, airline staff and others to achieve their wrongful act adding that this wrongful act by the workers has been a frequent occurrence but has recently become more conspicuous.

“We encourage them (companies at the airport) to pay their staff well because some of them come from far places and also to do periodic vetting of staff and before employing them.

“The barons now employ foreign nationals to do their dirty job for them, between January till date, we have arrested Mozambicans, Ghanaians, Congolese and South Africans, we have also found found and close down 13 clandestine laboratory where meth are produce, ephedrine is a precursor for meth.

“By training, everyday we get passenger information, we do our profiling and I have quite a number of officers that are exposed to some levels of training, they know how to profile and they know what to look for and we have a targeting list before the passengers even get to the airport”, he said.

Garba described the agency annexation of these illicit drugs as a great achievement for the agency and expecting more break through in arrest and seizures of illicit drugs at the airport by the agency.