National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA yesterday narrated how its operatives turned down a N10 million bribe offered to free a suspected drug dealer, Tsolaye Eburajolo.
This comes as the operatives recovered 26,250,000 pills of tramadol and 508,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup, with a street value of N16,683,800,000.
The drugs were intercepted during a 100% joint examination of watch-listed containers the NDLEA had with personnel from the Customs Service and other security agencies at the Tincan Port in Lagos and the Port Harcourt Port, Onne, Rivers State, between October 22 and 23.
Eburajolo, a 40-year-old man, was arrested in the Ago Palace area of Okota, Lagos, in connection with drugs intercepted by the officials.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the bribe offered to free the suspect has been added to the exhibits recovered.
The statement said, “Other illicit consignments intercepted during the joint inspection of the containers included 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700 kg at Tincan and Onne respectively, while 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28 kg, were also recovered from a container that arrived at the Lagos Port from Canada.”
“A suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested in the Ago Palace area of Okota, Lagos, in connection with the cannabis seizure, while a bribe of N10 million offered to NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as part of the exhibits for the prosecution of the case.”
Babafemi stated that NDLEA operatives also recovered no fewer than 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection, as well as 1.690 kg of cannabis and tramadol tablets concealed in hair attachments and the soles of shoes being sent to the United States, United Kingdom, and Oman at three courier firms.