Illicit drugs: Battling unending scourge ahead of 2019 polls

…Tramadol tops list of illicit drugs among youths, others
…Customs, NDLEA, others make in-roads to tackle menace
The trend of illicit drugs trafficking is becoming worrisome in Nigeria with Tramadol taking the front burner in recent times.

This has become a source of concern to every stakeholder as security agents and other relevant authorities appear to be confused on how to combat the menace.

Seizures of various magnitude of narcotics, ephedrine, cannabis, and Tramadol among others are being made on daily bases, thereby sending wrong and unhealthy signals to the country.

The recent seizure of N7billion Tramadol by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at Lagos port months after the ban on codeine by the Federal Government is a pointer that all is not well in the country.

According to statistics, there are over 100 million youths in Nigeria. If they are allowed unregulated access to these drugs, the development will portend great danger for the nation.

The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, in conjunction with the Nigeria Customs Service, recently set up an eight man committee to stem the tide of illicit drug trafficking at the ports.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Tin-Can Island Command, recently said it had handed over a 40-foot container containing confiscated and falsely declared pharmaceutical goods to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Yusuf Bashar, listed the items to include Spectradol (Tramadol) capsules, Spectra-Doxycycline capsules and Jinart tablets that were falsely declared as vehicles.

Bashar, in a statement, said that the area command handed over the container to the NDLEA, Tin-Can Island Port commander, Mr. Nse Jack.

He listed other seized drugs to include Clarinthromycin tablets and Jincold-Extra Strength capsules.

The Comptroller said the Service would continue to build on the existing inter-agency cooperation with all concerned regulatory agencies, in its efforts at ensuring that illicit goods were intercepted at ports.

The Comptroller, who linked the frequency of drugs seizures in recent times to the forthcoming election year, said that consumption of such drugs by the youths usually gave them false illusion to perpetuate deplorable acts.

He said the command recently seized arms, cars, drugs and other goods.

Bashar said that an importer, who falsely declared some pharmaceutical products as imported vehicles and another container as containing computer accessories, could never be described as a patriotic citizen.

“It is not just about money but the health and well-being of the people. Every Nigerian should show care about the lives of Nigerians and it is not about revenue nor trade facilitation but about the good of Nigeria and Nigerians, so this must stop,’’ the Comptroller said.

Bashar gave the name of the importer as Jin Spectra Pharmaceutical Ltd., based in Kano.

He also said the name of the clearing agency was Febeaco Nigeria Ltd., with office along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Apapa, Lagos.

The Comptroller expressed confidence in the officials of the NDLEA to complete its investigation and prosecute offenders.

He, however, said that the NCS would not allow unpatriotic and inconsiderate importers and agents to use the Tin-Can Island Port as a dumping ground to perpetrate their illegal operations.

Meanwhile, as part of their resolve to end the menace, officials of the Apapa Area Command, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) were said to have turned down a bribe of N150 million offered by an unscrupulous importer to clear 40 containers of the banned hard drug tramadol illegally imported into the country through the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa.

Customs Comptroller-General, Hammed Ali, disclosed this on Thursday while addressing journalists on the seizure of the containers ad two aircraft in Lagos.

Ali said the containers of tramadol, which were intercepted at the Apapa port by operatives of the command, were imported into the country from India.

Aircraft which were seized alongside the container include a helicopter with registration number SN-BLI and a Cesena 182A.

The Customs boss said the helicopter was intended for export but was falsely documented by the owner as 388 bags of cashew nuts, while the Cesena 182A, imported from the United States of America

and declared through SGD NO. C130308 was seized because of the failure of the owners to present End User Certificate from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and an approval from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

This, according to him, is in contravention of Section 46 of CEMA, Cap C45, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.

Ali expressed concern over the growing importation of tramadol and other illicit items into the country, which he said pose great risks to the security and health of the nation.

He said: “We are all aware of the dangers that the deliberate non-compliance to import and export procedures pose to our nation as importers bring in all manner of items which put the security and health of the nation at great risk.

Terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements get hold of these illegal goods such as illicit drugs to perpetrate their heinous activities”.

In addition, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had at the middle of the year intercepted over four tonnes of drugs confirmed to be Tramadol concealed in several cartons from the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL) shed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, (MMIA) Lagos.

Commander of NDLEA, MMIA Special Area Command, Garba Ahmadu, told The Daily Times that the seizure at their Lagos airport office include cartons which came in from India containing capsules with 225 milligrams and tablets of 120 milligram which is above the approved milligrams by the government.

Ahmadu condemned the activities of drug peddlers, pointing out that the latest seizure goes to show that Tramadol is becoming a serious problem in Nigeria, not only in the northern part but also in the southern part of the country.

The Commander disclosed that the Tramadol which they removed from SAHCOL shed were coming in via Etihad cargo and added that the total number of drugs came by five waybills, with four of the waybills weighing about 3, 615 kg excluding the last one.

On how they were able to track the drug peddlers, Ahmadu said: “We had an “intel” from our foreign collaborators; and when we got the report, we started working on it. We first wrote the company that brought the cargo.

We got the waybill and we started keeping the cargo on hold for some time while we monitor it from outside to know if somebody will come to claim it or whether an agent will come and clear the cargo”.

While pointing out that the seizure has nothing to do with the Nigeria Customs Services (NCS), the commander stated that “It has nothing to do with Customs;

it is just that we are working with intelligence. Customs does not know anything about this thing. You can clarify independently from SAHCOL when we have been working on this.

“Everything that comes into this country, you have to pay Customs duty on it. So as soon it comes in, somehow, it gets to their system in Abuja.

For the interest of working together with them, we have to notify them that we have this cargo and we need to pay duty because we have to seize it. We have to notify them and that is exactly what we did”.

Recounting the achievements in last year, Ahmadu stated that the agency had arrested 72 male suspects and another 13 female suspects with a total of 85 persons arrested.

He said the annual drug seizures stood at 1, 266.4kg in 2017 while cocaine seized in the same year weighed 51.520kg, heroin 53.930kg, cannabis sativa 96.655kg, methamphetamine 13.205kg, ephedrine 108.250kg, tramadol 938.554kg amongst others.

He also stated that while 25 male suspects were arrested, 4 female suspects were apprehended with total persons arrested hitting 29 just as 24 cases were equally recorded from January to April, 2018.

With a total number of 59 convictions from 2017 to 2018, the commander informed that, in this year alone, about 187.22kg of drugs have also been seized between January and April, 2018 with cocaine, heroin, cannabis sativa, methamphetamine, tramadol weighing 1.88, 4.48, 15.56, 41.06 and 89.06 respectively.

On choice airlines for drug peddlers, Ahmadu said “I don’t think they stick to one airline. It used to be Emirates. To some extent, Ethiopian but as at last week, South African Airline had the highest number of arrests followed by Ethiopian Airlines”.

The commander stated that the agency has challenges of adequate personnel and that they require more funding than what they are having now.

Other areas, he wants addressed are in the areas of equipment and the need to upgrade all the body scanners at the airport.

To him, he also believes that there is need to carry out a lot of awareness education to airlines who in turn will enlighten their staff on the issue of drugs.

“We need to carry out more awareness to stakeholders such as airlines so that they know how to educate their staff. It is not out of place to increase the salaries and allowances of our personnel. That will bring motivation and increase productivity”, Ahmadu said.