The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has secured an interim forfeiture order over 17 shipping containers packed with illicit opioids valued at more than N33.6 billion, following a ruling of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt.

The containers, intercepted at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State, were seized in multiple operations spanning several months. According to NDLEA filings, they held an enormous cache of 19,600,000 pills of Tramadol, Tafrodol, Tapentadol and Carisoprodol, alongside 2,496,400 bottles of codeine syrup. The total weight of the psychotropic substances was put at 365,675 kilograms, with a combined street value estimated at N33,691,200,000.

Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed granted the interim forfeiture after an ex parte motion brought by the NDLEA in suit number FHC/PH/MISC/25/2026. The court ordered that the 17 containers, illegally imported into Nigeria through the Onne Sea Port by yet-to-be-identified persons, be forfeited in the interim to the Federal Government.

In his ruling, Justice Mohammed directed that custody and possession of the containers and their contents be vested in the NDLEA pending the final determination of the suit, effectively placing the massive haul under the agency’s control as investigations and prosecution efforts continue.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), hailed the decision as a major blow to the financial backbone of the drug trafficking networks behind the shipment. He described the seizure and forfeiture as a “total dispossession” of resources that would have been used to endanger young Nigerians and bankroll wider criminal enterprises.

Marwa stressed that cutting off the financial lifelines of drug cartels is central to the national strategy against narcotics, warning that the Nigerian state will not permit proceeds from illicit drugs to fuel terrorism or organised crime.

He commended the judiciary for what he called steadfast support and timely intervention, noting that strong collaboration between the courts and law enforcement remains vital to sustaining momentum in the fight against substance abuse and trafficking.

The NDLEA boss also praised officers at the Onne Port Command for their vigilance and professionalism, and acknowledged the cooperation of the Nigeria Customs Service, other port stakeholders and international partners whose intelligence sharing and technical assistance helped expose and intercept the concealed consignments.