The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recovered 548,000 tramadol tablets branded as “Tarkadol” at Nkwelle, Oyi Local Government Area, Anambra State.
Its Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, said this in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said the drugs were seized at the warehouse of a major drug lord, Okeke Chijioke, of No. 3, Atunya street, Maryland Estate, Nkwelle.
He said Okeke’s arrest on Saturday 10th July, followed credible intelligence and surveillance, which confirmed he stocked his warehouse with the illicit drug.
According to him, after the search of his warehouse, 548,000 tablets of Tarkadol weighing 302.500 kilograms were recovered.
“The suspect accepted ownership of the substance recovered. Preliminary investigation has established that Tarkadol is a brand of Tramadol that has just been introduced into the market to evade attention.
“The substance has also tested positive to amphetamine. The drug was equally labeled 100mg pain reliever on its packs to avoid scrutiny, while laboratory tests confirmed it’s a 225mg drug.
“It was further discovered that the drug was manufactured in India and smuggled into Nigeria without NAFDAC number or certification.
“During the search on the warehouse, a double barrel pump gun with three live cartridges, which licence expired since 2019, was also discovered and recovered, ” he said.
