Nigeria: Customs record new Tramadol seizure

Record capture of customs in Nigeria. They got their hands on 35 containers of Tramadol, a pain medication used as a drug.

An inexpensive, easy-to-find product that is wreaking havoc in several countries of the continent.

Nigeria has therefore increased its vigilance against trafficking.

Of the 35 containers seized, nine have so far been transmitted to NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control) who destroyed them. Since 2010, Nigeria has placed Tramadol under national control.

That is to say that this drug is still legal, but distributed under strict conditions, starting of course by a medical prescription.

This is not enough to fight the drug trade whose success lies in its price, two to three times lower than other drugs.

Throughout Nigeria, Tramadol is found in so-called “pharmacy on the land”. That is, stalls in the street of sellers on the sly. Hence the Nigerian customs offensive which increased the control in the ports. As recently as last December, six containers had been seized, transporting nearly 115 tons of Tramadol.

These drugs are usually from India or China, the world’s leading producers. But today, the success of Tramadol is such in Nigeria that one suspects even the existence of a local industry.

According to data from the Epidemiological Network on Drug Use in Nigeria, more than 70% of Nigerians who use drugs with opiates use Tramadol.

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