Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a consignment of cannabis concealed in a gallon of palm oil at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, as well as seized 8,725 kilogrammes of tramadol powder worth over N6.98 billion at the Apapa port in Lagos.
The cannabis consignment, weighing 511.75 grammes, was intercepted from a female passenger travelling to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The agency also seized large quantities of cannabis, tramadol, diazepam and other illicit substances in separate operations across Lagos, Edo, Ondo and Bauchi states, arresting several suspects, including an 85-year-old woman.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday.
Babafemi said NDLEA operatives intercepted the female passenger, identified as Fatimah Ahmad, on Friday, October 16, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah.
He said the suspect told operatives that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, gave her the gallon of palm oil, prompting his arrest at the airport car park.
At the Apapa port in Lagos, the agency, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant agencies, uncovered a shipment of tramadol powder imported from India and declared as maize starch.
