The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a major cross-border drug trafficking network operating across Togo, Benin Republic and Nigeria, intercepting 1.63 million pills of Tramadol concealed in trucks and arresting multiple suspects linked to the international syndicate.
The breakthrough followed weeks of intelligence-driven investigations by the agency, which exposed an organised network allegedly using commercial cargo trucks and logistics channels to smuggle large quantities of illicit drugs into Nigeria.
According to the NDLEA, investigations first led to the arrest of cargo agents Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, before operatives apprehended another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, while he attempted to take delivery of the consignments from a logistics company.
The agency said sustained investigations later uncovered the alleged owner of the intercepted drugs, leading to the arrest of 44-year-old businesswoman Chioma Nneka Mokeme on July 7 in a joint operation with operatives of the Nigeria Police Force Area C Command, Surulere, Lagos.
During interrogation, Chioma, who claimed to run a printing business, reportedly confessed that she was introduced to the illicit drug trade by a Canada-based associate identified as Agbons Collins.
The NDLEA said the arrest has dealt a significant blow to the activities of the transnational drug network, adding that investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the syndicate operating within and outside Nigeria.
Commending the officers who carried out the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised personnel of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Rivers, Edo and Kogi Commands for their professionalism, vigilance and commitment to the agency’s anti-drug campaign.
Marwa said the arrests and seizure of the 1.63 million Tramadol pills represent another major victory in the agency’s relentless crackdown on drug trafficking and warned criminal networks that Nigeria would remain hostile territory for narcotics syndicates.
He urged NDLEA operatives across the country to sustain intelligence-led operations and continue disrupting drug supply chains threatening the nation’s security and public health.