Illicit opioids valued at ₦6,722,550,000 have been recovered from a warehouse concealed inside a residential estate in the Bucknor area of Isolo, Lagos.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, said the discovery followed credible intelligence that a drug trafficking organisation was preparing to distribute 7.2 million pills of Tramadol 225mg and 526,200 bottles, equivalent to 52.6 million millilitres of codeine syrup, ahead of the Christmas season.
Two members of the group, Egbo Innocent Udalor and Chukwe Emmanuel were first intercepted on Wednesday, 19th November, at Apple Junction, Festac, while transporting 300 cartons of opioids in a truck.
A follow-up operation the next day, Thursday, 20th November, led investigators to a residential compound at 23 Sunny Billa East Street, Bucknor where the warehouse was located.
In all, six suspects connected to the drug trafficking organisation were taken into custody.
The recovered substances comprised 7,272,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg valued at ₦3.96 billion, and 52.6 million millilitres of codeine syrup valued at ₦2.76 billion, bringing the combined street value to ₦6.72 billion.
The exhibits were evacuated from the estate in eleven trucks and transferred to the Agency’s central exhibit complex in Lagos.
The operation was carried out by a Special Operations Unit, with support from the Strike Force Unit, in a coordinated effort to disrupt the activities of the syndicate.
According to investigators, the dismantled network was one of the organisations supplying illicit opioids across the country.
(Editor: Anoyoyo Ogiagboviogie)
