Three courier companies in Lagos were the locations where agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted a shipment of cocaine and prescription painkillers.
In a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said that the narcotics were hidden in the containers of hair treatment cream and sanitary pads for women.
According to Babafemi, the shipments were destined for Cyprus, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, in that order.
He said that at least thirty boxes containing 1.1 kg of cocaine were hidden in hair care containers in one of the logistics businesses.
“They were retrieved on Tuesday, September 3, by NDLEA personnel of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), during cargo inspections headed to Ireland.
“On Friday, September 5, the same company similarly intercepted a batch of 24 packages containing 862 grammes of cocaine, which were likewise concealed in hair cream containers and intended for delivery to the UK.
Similarly, on Tuesday, September 3, NDLEA agents intercepted 525 ecstasy (MDMA) and tramadol 225 mg pills hidden in women’s sanitary pads headed to Cyprus at another courier company in Lagos.
Meanwhile, a cargo of 200 ampoules of promethazine injection and pentazocine injection concealed in food items and herbs bound for London, UK, was also confiscated by operatives on Wednesday, September 4.
“Operatives equally intercepted another consignment of tramadol 225mg buried in granulated melon that came from Cameroon and going to South Africa on Friday 6th September,”he stated. In another event, 550,000 tramadol pills were intercepted at Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) on Monday, September 2.
Babafemi stated that the tramadol pills were seized during a combined examination of a consignment arriving from Delhi, India, with Nigerian Customs Service officers.
He declared, “A suspect was already arrested in relation to the seizure.”
Bottom Line
Drug trafficking through courier companies, and the use of deceptive methods like hiding narcotics in everyday items such as hair treatment cream and sanitary pads, shows the sophisticated strategies employed by criminal networks.
These shipments not only undermine Nigeria’s international reputation but also contribute to global drug trafficking issues.
The seizure of substances like cocaine, tramadol, and MDMA many of which are highly addictive and dangerous points to a larger concern about the role Nigeria plays as both a transit point and a destination for illicit drugs.
The variety of destinations for these shipments (the UK, Cyprus, Ireland, and South Africa) demonstrates how widespread and international these trafficking operations are, using Nigeria as a hub.
