Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, and the Apapa Seaport, Lagos, have recovered drugs worth about N6.5bn.

The drugs included more than six million pills of opioids, specifically Tamol 225mg, Tapentadol 225mg, and Carisoprodol 225mg, as well as 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.

A statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the seizures at the Apapa and Onne ports followed intelligence gathering and the tracking of new trafficking routes used by drug cartels to smuggle illicit substances into Nigeria.

“This necessitated the watch-listing of the containers for 100 per cent examination. The consignments at the Port Harcourt ports: six million pills of opioids and 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup were uncovered in two containers on Monday, May 19 and Tuesday, May 20, 2025, during a joint examination of the shipments by the NDLEA officers with men of the Nigeria Customs and other security agencies, “ Babafemi added.

At the Apapa port in Lagos, he said a total of 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup were discovered in a watch-listed container by the NDLEA operatives during a similar joint examination on Thursday, May 22.

He also said two British nationals and their Nigerian counterparts were arrested for attempting to smuggle drugs weighing 51.10kg into the country.

Babafemi said, “Two British nationals: Mhizha Jordan Alexander Tatendra and Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon, as well as two Nigerians: Shonowo Oluwaseun Imole and Ofuoma Omokaro Ayobami, have been arrested by the NDLEA operatives for attempting to smuggle into Nigeria 92 bags of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 51.10kg through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

“Alexander was intercepted with the consignment upon his arrival at the MMIA on a Qatar Airline flight from Doha based on processed intelligence on Thursday, May 15. He was allowed to pass through the security control unhindered and closely monitored by the NDLEA operatives to the car park, where the owner of the cargo, Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon, who is a Nigerian British, was waiting in an SUV along with his relation, Shonowo Oluwaseun Imole and the driver of the vehicle, Ofuoma Omokaro Ayobami, to receive the courier.

“The NDLEA operatives tracking them, however, swooped on them as they attempted to drive out of the airport car park, arresting them with the drug exhibits in the vehicle.’’

Babafemi said Alexander confessed that he was recruited during his vacation weeks ago, while he was promised 1,300 British Pounds after a successful delivery of the consignment in Lagos.

“The arrowhead of the syndicate, Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon, confessed that he arrived in Nigeria a day earlier from South Africa through Ghana.

“A follow-up operation at their apartment in Lekki led to more discoveries. At the point of his arrest, N93,000 and 17,200 South African Rand were recovered from him while a search of his Lekki apartment led to the seizure of N3,810,500 cash, an Apple laptop, an iPhone 14 Pro Max and four laughing gas (Nitro Oxide) canisters.”

In other operations, Babafemi said a total of 75,000 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on 30 hectares of cannabis farms by the NDLEA operatives at Esuk-Odot village in Odukpani LGA, Cross River state where 200kg of same substance was recovered on Wednesday, May 22, adding that 1,957.5kg of the same psychoactive plant was destroyed at Ohosu forest, Ovia South West LGA and Okhuse community forest, Owan West LGA, Edo State on May 23 and 24.

“In Nasarawa State, two suspects: Sunday Daniel, 51, and Abu Peter, 30, were arrested at Keffi by NDLEA operatives on Saturday 24th May when 4,000 kilograms of skunk were discovered concealed under unprocessed wood in their lorry, while another suspect, Godwin Obi, 39, was nabbed at Karu with 154.5kg of same substance on Wednesday, May 21.

“In Kaduna, the NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kaduna – Zaria expressway at Gwargwaje on Wednesday 21st May, intercepted 22-year-old Muhammad Hamza with 57,750 pills of tramadol and diazepam, while same day their counterparts in Bauchi arrested Usman Muhammad, 45, along Bauchi-Misau road with 80 blocks of skunk weighing 45kg, “ the statement added.

Similarly, Babafemi said operatives on stop-and-search operations along Potiskum–Damaturu road, Yobe state, intercepted 55 parcels of Colorado, weighing 2kg, which a suspect, Adum Muhammed, 29, was attempting to smuggle into the Republic of Chad through Ngamboru Ngala border town in Borno State.

“In Niger State, the NDLEA operatives on patrol along Mokwa-Jebba Road on Thursday, May 22, intercepted a Mercedes Benz car marked FST 938 FU loaded with 235 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 97kg and arrested a suspect, Adams Ayibakro.

“This is even as operatives in Lagos raided the Osapa London area of Lekki where they arrested a suspect, Jonathan Isa, with different quantities of Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Molly, Rohypnol, Codeine, Cannabis and Nitrous Oxide, while another raid at Idasun, Eleko, Ibeju Lekki on Saturday, May 24 led to the arrest of Olamilekan Idowu and seizure of 48kg skunk,” he added.