THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has intercepted about 100,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 15,325 kilograms at the Onne seaport in Rivers state.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi,, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, in Abuja.
According to the statement, the illicit substance was packaged in 500 cartons and concealed in a container bearing imported food masks made in India.
The anti-drug agency said it was discovered on Thursday in a warehouse at the port’s complex during a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Department of State Service (DSS), and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) officers.
“The seizure followed an intelligence received by NDLEA as a result of which the container was put on hold and moved to the customers government warehouse within the port complex,” the statement reads.
“No importer or agent has however come forward in respect of the container but efforts are ongoing to track the owner for further investigation and prosecution.”
NDLEA said its operatives also seized nine cartons of ‘khat’ weighing 146.95 kilograms at the cargo wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
