Indian Businessman, 3 Nigerians Nabbed Over N3.9bn Tramadol at Lagos Airport

…As NDLEA storms Ikorodu skuchies factory, intercepts meth, Loud, Ice across states

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a major drug trafficking syndicate after intercepting 2,248,000 pills of tramadol 200mg/225mg at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The illicit consignment, valued at N3.99 billion in street worth, was smuggled in from Delhi, India, concealed as multivitamins and packed in 114 cartons.

According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, operatives had placed the shipment under surveillance before swooping on a clearing agent and two drivers attempting to ferry the drugs out of the airport in trucks on September 11.

A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Indian businessman Gupta Ravi Kumar, who reportedly appeared in person to take delivery of the consignment. Three Nigerian accomplices — Ogunlana Noah Olanrewaju, Olushola Idrees Kayode, and Bakare Korede Muheeb — were also arrested.

“This arrest demonstrates how far international cartels are willing to go, working with local partners to flood Nigeria with dangerous opioids,” Babafemi stated.

More Drug Busts Across States

Within the same week, NDLEA operatives recorded other seizures:

• At MMIA, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, a Qatar Airways passenger, was arrested with 900g of cannabis skunk hidden in crayfish. His associate, Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, was later tracked to a hotel in Ajao Estate where additional drugs were recovered.
• At Tincan Port, Lagos, officers uncovered 161 parcels of Canadian Loud (81.7kg) and 1.2kg of hashish oil inside a 40ft container shipped from Montreal, Canada.
• Another 65kg consignment of Loud was intercepted in a Toyota Sienna on the Third Mainland Bridge.
• In Ikorodu, Lagos, NDLEA stormed a skuchies factory, dismantling the facility and seizing quantities of methamphetamine, Loud, and Ice destined for street sales.

Babafemi assured that the agency remains relentless in its mission to dismantle drug cartels and cut off supply chains threatening the nation’s public health and security.