Intelligence-led operation intercepts two trucks at the Benin Republic border, days after another large tramadol bust in Lagos

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted more than 1.5 million pills of tramadol concealed inside two trucks that entered Nigeria through the Benin Republic border, in what the agency described as a major setback for drug trafficking syndicates operating across West Africa.

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The latest NDLEA tramadol seizure comes barely a week after officers intercepted another truck in Lagos carrying 558,900 pills of 250mg tramadol hidden inside a specially constructed false-bottom compartment reinforced with thick iron sheets.

The development was disclosed on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement shared on X.

According to Babafemi, intelligence-led operations enabled officers to identify and intercept two additional trucks using the same concealment technique and smuggling route from Togo, through the Benin Republic, into Nigeria.

“In yet another deadly blow to the backbone of tramadol cartels in Nigeria coming barely a week after NDLEA officers in Lagos intercepted a truck loaded with 558,900 pills of tramadol 250mg buried in false bottom compartment constructed with thick iron sheets on the belly of the truck that came from Togo through Benin Republic into Lagos,” the statement said.

Babafemi disclosed that the latest operation resulted in the recovery of a quantity of tramadol almost three times larger than that seized in the previous interception.

“NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence have again intercepted two more of such trucks with the same mode of concealment coming through same route but this time with three times the number of pills seized from the first truck, that’s over 1.5 million pills meant for delivery to the North,” he added.

The agency said the operation disrupted what it believes was a significant supply chain allegedly intended for criminal elements operating in northern Nigeria.

“That’s massive supplies to bandits and other criminal gangs blocked midway. Now that their channels through the ports have been blocked, they are again meeting their Waterloo at their escape land border routes.

This is no doubt a massive win for our youths being targeted, public health, security and Nigeria as a whole,” Babafemi stated.

The latest interception highlights what security agencies describe as evolving smuggling tactics, with traffickers increasingly turning to land borders after intensified enforcement measures at Nigeria’s seaports.

Tramadol, an opioid pain medication, is legally regulated because of its potential for abuse and addiction.

Nigerian authorities have repeatedly linked the illegal trafficking of high-dose tramadol to organised criminal networks, substance abuse and insecurity, particularly where the drug is allegedly diverted to armed groups and other violent offenders.

The NDLEA has in recent months intensified intelligence-driven operations targeting narcotics trafficking routes across the country’s land, sea and air borders.

The agency says the strategy combines surveillance, inter-agency cooperation and intelligence gathering to dismantle trafficking networks and reduce the flow of illicit drugs into communities.

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The latest seizure represents another significant milestone in those efforts, as authorities continue to strengthen border security and disrupt the movement of prohibited substances across Nigeria’s international frontiers.