Major illicit drug lord, Okeke Chijioke, has been arrested a in Anambra State by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) .
In a statement on Sunday by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the agency said 548,000 tablets of tramadol branded as Tarkadol were recovered from his warehouse.
Babafemi added that Okeke’s arrest on Saturday 10 July 2021 followed credible intelligence and surveillance, which confirmed he stocked his warehouse with the illicit drug.
He added that the suspect accepted ownership of the substance recovered and will be charged to court soon.
“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 3 live cartridges, which licence expired since 2019, was also discovered and recovered,” Babafemi said.
