Nigeria’s anti-drug agency has dismantled a major trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, seizing nearly 200,000 tramadol pills and arresting four suspects in a sweeping crackdown across multiple states.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) confirmed that its operatives tracked the cartel for weeks before launching coordinated raids. “Our intelligence team monitored the syndicate’s movements, leading to precise operations,” NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said in a statement Sunday.
Nigeria’s anti-drug agency has dismantled a major trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, seizing nearly 200,000 tramadol pills and arresting four suspects in a sweeping crackdown across multiple states.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) confirmed that its operatives tracked the cartel for weeks before launching coordinated raids. “Our intelligence team monitored the syndicate’s movements, leading to precise operations,” NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said in a statement Sunday.
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In Keffi, Nasarawa State, NDLEA officers intercepted a Sienna bus carrying 190,960 tramadol pills hidden in steel compartments. Two suspects—Zahradeen Adamu, 27, and Abubakar Usman, 44—were arrested as they attempted to transport the illicit drugs from Onitsha to Yola. A second vehicle, driven by 48-year-old Abba Usman, was also stopped and searched.
A follow-up raid in Onitsha led to the arrest of Kingsley Mbaeri, believed to be a key supplier. Officers seized two vehicles from his residence, deepening the investigation into the cartel’s supply chain.
Beyond tramadol, NDLEA’s operations yielded a string of major busts nationwide. In Abuja, agents seized nearly 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, Loud (a potent cannabis strain), and dimethyl sulfone—an essential meth-mixing chemical—concealed within motor parts.
Other seizures included:
- 170,000 tramadol pills from a truck in Cross River.
- 85,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup from a container at Lagos’ Apapa port.
- 60 compressed blocks of skunk (72kg) in Borno.
- 83kg of skunk from three suspects in Ekiti.
- 169.5 litres of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) from a Lekki home.
- 32.84kg of Arizona and Ghana Loud in Taraba.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), NDLEA’s chairman, praised officers for their efforts, vowing to intensify the agency’s fight against drug trafficking. “We will continue to dismantle these criminal networks and ensure the safety of Nigerians,” he said.
NDLEA’s latest crackdown dismantled a trans-border drug network, seizing 190,960 tramadol pills and arresting four key players. From Lagos to Abuja, officers intercepted meth, cannabis, and codeine-based syrup, exposing hidden drug routes. NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa commends operatives and calls for tougher enforcement against illicit drug trade.
