Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted another batch of seven containers with 1,229,400 bottles of codeine worth N9,835,200,000.00.
The shipments were seized at the Onne Ports in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.
This seizure comes just three weeks after 6,125 cartons of codeine syrup worth N7,350,000,000.00 were intercepted in Rivers State.
In a statement on Friday, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said, “Barely three weeks after seizing 6,125 cartons of codeine syrup containing 1,050,000 bottles of the opioid worth over N7,350,000,000.00 in street value, at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, Rivers State, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have again intercepted another batch of seven containers bearing one million two hundred and twenty-nine thousand four hundred bottles of the same substance worth over N9,835,200,000.00 at the Onne ports.”
He continued, “The latest seizure made on Thursday, July 18, 2024, is the fourth and last set of such consignments that have been under the watchlist of the Agency’s Maritime Special Operations Unit Targeting Team, which worked in partnership with the Port Harcourt Ports Command of the Agency and other security agencies including the Customs Service for a 100 per cent joint examination of the targeted containers.”
During a joint examination with other security agencies on Thursday, seven containers were found to contain 8,774 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup, totaling 1,229,400 bottles and weighing 184,410 kilograms.
Babafemi said, “This followed credible intelligence and months of diligent tracking of the consignments from their port of departure. At the joint examination of the containers with other security agencies on Thursday, all seven containers were found bearing a total of 8,774 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup with 1,229,400 bottles weighing 184,410 kilograms.”
He provided a detailed breakdown of the shipments, revealing that the containers came from India via the Maersk Vigo Vessel and included additional items like chilli cutters and Hyregra tablets to mask the shipments.
In response to the latest seizure, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (retd), commended the officers, men, and women of the various formations of the Agency for their diligence, vigilance, and professionalism.
Marwa praised the support received from other stakeholders at the ports that enabled the seamless and successful operations. Babafemi quoted Marwa saying, “The operation, which had inflicted heavy losses on the cartels behind the shipments, has further degraded their capacity and financial base.”
