NDLEA Intercepts N9.8bn Codeine Shipments From India

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have intercepted another batch of seven containers bearing 1, 229, 400 bottles of codeine syrup worth over N9.8billion at the Onne port in Rivers State.

This came barely three weeks after seizing 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, Onne, Rivers State.

NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the latest seizure made on Thursday, July 18, 2024 was the fourth and last set of such consignments that had been under the watch list of the agency’s Maritime Special Operations Unit Targeting Team which worked in partnership with the Port Harcourt Ports Command of the agency and other security agencies including the Customs Service for a 100 per cent joint examination of the targeted containers.

He further explained that this followed credible intelligence and months of diligent tracking of the consignments from their port of departure.

At the joint examination of the containers with other security agencies on Thursday, all the seven containers were found bearing a total of 8,774 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup with 1, 229, 400 bottles weighing 184,410 kilograms.