Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a truck transporting a massive consignment of illicit pharmaceutical opioids in Lagos, uncovering a sophisticated concealment method involving a specially fabricated compartment reinforced with thick iron sheets. The operation, which was announced on Sunday, June 28, 2026, by the agency's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, led to the arrest of two nationals of the Benin Republic and a Nigerian at Mile 2, Lagos.
The truck, which travelled from Togo through the Benin Republic into Nigeria, was found to be carrying 558,900 pills of 250mg tramadol, a dosage that far exceeds Nigeria's approved medical limit of 100mg per dose. The NDLEA said the sophisticated concealment was intended to evade detection, but its officers successfully uncovered the hidden compartment and seized the consignment upon the truck's arrival in Lagos.
The suspects were identified as Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19, both nationals of the Benin Republic, and a Nigerian, Jackson ThankGod. They were arrested on June 21, 2026, at the Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos, following a search of their truck which revealed the pills concealed in a fabricated compartment.
Describing those behind the operation as "merchants of death," the agency warned that the trafficking of large quantities of high-strength tramadol poses a serious threat to public health and national security, given the drug's widespread abuse and addictive nature. The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to intensifying efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and prevent illicit substances from reaching communities across the country.
The seizure was part of a series of major anti-drug operations conducted by the NDLEA across Nigeria over the past week. The agency also intercepted a China-bound businesswoman with 7.5 kilograms of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and recovered 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud cannabis valued at N12.397 billion at the Apapa Port. Additionally, the NDLEA dismantled a syndicate that plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers at motor parks.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the agency's balanced approach of aggressive drug supply reduction alongside public drug abuse prevention campaigns.
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