The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has intercepted a loads of Captagon, a brand of Amphetamine meant for insurgents in Nigeria at the Apapa port Lagos.
Captagon is a tiny, highly addictive pill, widely available across the Middle East, which produces a euphoric intensity in users, allowing them to stay awake for days, making them fearless and predisposes them to reckless action that puts the lives of people around them in jeopardy.
A press statement by the Director Media and advocacy NDLEA headquarters Abuja Mr Femi Babafemi said, “Sometime in March 2021, we received intel from our international partners on the shipment of illicit narcotics to Nigeria from the Middle East through the Apapa port.”
“The container passed through three countries and was loaded in a North African country, but we kept track of it along with our partners.”
“We made the first attempt to examine the container on Thursday, August 26, 2021, and what we found inside the container were three (3) pieces of marble polishing machines, otherwise called sanders.”
“Further scrutiny on Monday, August 31, with the NDLEA sniffer dogs turned up a positive indication on the rotor coil of one of the three machines. The next day, Wednesday, 1st September, 18,560 tablets of drug suspected to be Amphetamine (Captagon) weighing 3.2kg was found deeply concealed in one of the coils.” The statement explained.
The statement further said, “the following day, Thursday, September 2, the other two machines were dismantled, and in all, a total of 451, 807 tablets, weighing 74.119 kilograms, were discovered hidden inside their rotor coils.”
Value:
“Going by the street value of about $25 per tablet, the importer would have raised $11.3million, which is equivalent to N6 billion.”
Speaking on the recent seizures, the Chief executive NDLEA Brig.Gen. Muhammed Buba Marwa (Rtd) at a media briefing to condemned the evil intent of those behind the importation of the illicit substance into the country at a very critical time when the nation is facing some security challenges.
He vowed that the Agency would not rest until everyone connected to the consignment is arrested and prosecuted.
Ime N
