Confusion trails the seizure on Tuesday, of 1, 387 cartons of Tramadol, a dangerous illicit drug concealed in 1000 ceramic tiles at the Onne Port in Rivers State, as both the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),have claimed credit for the feat.
The NCS in a statement by its spokesperson for the Area 11 Command, Onne Port, Mrs. Ifeoma Ojukwu, on Wednesday, said it made the seizure with the support of international partners.
“The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 1, 387 cartons of Tramadol tablets concealed inside 1,000 cartons of ceramic tiles in Rivers State”, Ojukwu said, quoting the Area Comptroller, Auwal Mohammed as saying the prohibited items were found in a 1×40 feet container with registration number MRKU0764717.
“The drugs were packed in a 120mg capsule and stored inside 20 sachets per pack, totaling 18 packs per carton. We discovered that the same carton that is used to package the ceramic tiles was also used to package the tramadol 120mg capsules.
“A total of 1, 387 cartons of prohibited tramadol tablets were concealed with 1,000 cartons of ceramic tiles. The drugs were picked through intelligence gathering following a tip-off from an international security network” the Customs Area Comptroller had disclosed.
Mohammed said the importer of the banned substance, agent and their collaborators would soon be prosecuted, adding that the command had begun physical examination of the seized goods to enable investigators conduct a thorough job on the consignment.
He noted that the command will not succumb to any external pressure to hurry its investigation without following the laid down procedures.
“Therefore, every importer should know that making unclear or false electronic declarations does not mean they will have an easy way out with their consignment. All Customs officers under my watch will continue to abide by the law as well as shun any form of compromise”.
However, shortly after the Customs announced the seizure, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, also issued a statement on Wednesday, saying the seizure of the illicit drug concealed in 1,387 cartons on Tuesday, May 18, “followed a joint examination by NDLEA operatives and Customs personnel on a container marked MRKU 0764717, which had since been on the Agency’s watch list”.
He said the seizure was an indication that efforts by the NDLEA to block access and availability of illicit substances had, again, led to the interception of a container bearing 4,996,200 capsules of tramadol weighing 2,498.2 kilogrammes at the Onne port, Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
The development came just as the anti-drug agency announced the arrest of 42-year-old Muntari Hamidu in Nyibango, Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State, with 13 sacks of cannabis sativa weighing 166kg.
Babafemi also said another suspect, Sani Musa, aged 35, was nabbed with16.1kg of skunk at Ngurore, Yola South Local Government Area of the state. Both were arrested on Sunday, May 16, the same day a team of NDLEA operatives from Ondo State Command also arrested James Godspower with 36.5kg of cannabis sativa in Faloye, Ogbese, Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
Reacting, Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) commended the renewed synergy between the agency and other security agencies in its operations, as well as the officers and men of the Port Harcourt Port Command, and those of Adamawa and Ondo State Commands for their resilience and commitment to work, while charging them to remain vigilant.
