Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of captagon, popularly known as the “Jihadi drug,” and millions of opioid tablets worth more than ₦6.2 billion in separate operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
47,200 Captagon Pills Hidden in Ghana Soap
The NDLEA said its operatives arrested a 49-year-old suspected cross-border drug kingpin, Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, after he arrived in Lagos from Accra, Ghana.
According to the agency, a search of a carton of local bathing soap, popularly known as “Ghana Soap,” allegedly uncovered 47,200 pills of captagon concealed inside the blocks of soap.
The consignment was estimated to have a street value of more than ₦1.5 billion.
Captagon is an amphetamine-type stimulant that has been associated with illicit drug markets and armed groups in conflict zones.
The NDLEA said the substance was first intercepted in Nigeria in September 2021 at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
Nearly Four Million Opioid Tablets Intercepted
In a separate operation at the same airport, NDLEA officers recovered 3,900,030 tablets of Tramaking 225mg and Tapentadol 250mg.
The consignments had a combined gross weight of 2,787.40 kilogrammes and an estimated street value of more than ₦4.6 billion.
The agency said the drugs were found in four abandoned consignments at the MMIA import shed.
Three consignments contained a combined 900,000 Tramaking tablets, weighing 815.40kg, which arrived aboard RwandAir flights from Bangladesh.
The fourth contained 3,000,030 Tapentadol tablets, weighing 1,972kg, and arrived aboard Qatar Airways from Amsterdam.
Abandoned Consignments Placed Under Surveillance
According to the NDLEA, the consignments had been placed under surveillance after no one showed up to claim them.
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The agency said they were formally retrieved on Friday, August 28, following a joint examination involving NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant stakeholders.
US Returnee Arrested With ‘Loud’ Cannabis
The NDLEA also disclosed the arrest of a 31-year-old United States returnee, Sowunmi David Oludotun, in the Ikate area of Lekki, Lagos.
Oludotun was arrested on August 19 after he allegedly arrived to take delivery of 3.350kg of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis imported from the United Kingdom.
Marwa Commends Officers
The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations.
Marwa directed them to sustain efforts against drug traffickers who continue to adopt sophisticated methods to conceal and transport illicit substances.
He specifically urged officers to remain vigilant against attempts to smuggle drugs through ordinary household items, including bathing soap.
