Just three weeks after intercepting 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 in Onne, Rivers State, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives intercepted another batch of seven containers containing 1,229,400 bottles of the same substance worth over N9,835,200,000.00 at the same port.
According to the anti-narcotics agency’s Maritime Special Operations Unit Targeting Team, the latest seizure on Thursday, July 18, 2024, was the fourth and last set of such consignments under its watch. To conduct a 100 percent joint examination of the targeted containers, the Port Harcourt Ports Command of the agency, along with other security agencies including the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), worked together.
In a statement issued on Friday, NDLEA Spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the development came after credible intelligence and months of meticulous tracking of the consignments from their port of departure.
In response to the latest seizure, NDLEA's chairman/chief executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended all of the officers, men and women from the Agency's various formations who had been working on the targeted containers for months for their diligence, vigilance, and professionalism. He also commended the assistance provided by various stakeholders at the ports, which enabled smooth and successful operations in the course of targeting the shipments.
Marwa stated that the operation, which has inflicted heavy losses on the cartels behind the shipments, has further weakened their capacity and financial base.
