The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 48-year-old Beninese woman Leocardi Josu at the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, while she attempted to smuggle 3,400 tramadol 225mg tablets into Nigeria.

The arrest is part of a broader nationwide crackdown on illicit drugs. On December 18, NDLEA officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, also detained 36-year-old businessman Nwanwene Robinson Destiny, who was trying to board a flight to Milan, Italy with 1,020 pills of tramadol and tapentadol. Destiny admitted that the drugs were to be sold in Italy for €200.

Other operations by the NDLEA during the same period include:

• Abdullahi Adamu, 30, arrested on December 19 along Okene/Lokoja highway with 28.4 kg of skunk and Colorado, a synthetic cannabis.
• In Oyo State, 125,000 tramadol capsules and 1,800 pentazocine ampoules were seized from a Toyota Hiace bus; Ogunlade Kazeem, 54, and Adeleke Ismail, 30, were also arrested with 185.4 kg of skunk at Challenge Motor Park, Ibadan.
• In Osun State, 405 kg of skunk was recovered from Owena/Ijesha forest, leading to the arrest of Charles James, 45, while Jamilu Zakari, 42, was detained with 14,960 tramadol 225mg pills transported from Abuja to Gusau, Zamfara State.
• In Lagos, Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, a 39-year-old female cocaine stash keeper, was arrested on December 9 at her Surulere residence, where 23.5 kg of cocaine was found hidden in her children’s room, valued at over N5 billion.

NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), praised officers for their vigilance and urged all personnel to maintain the highest standards of professionalism, particularly during the festive season, to continue reducing drug supply and demand.