By Noela EBOB BISONG
Elements of the Cameroon Customs service recently intercepted a huge consignment of Tramadol said to worth FCFA 700 million. The incident took place last June 4, at about 5:30pm, at the cargo area of the Airport.
Following information made public by the Customs Directorate General, the Customs officers at the Douala Airport led by Captain Gabriel Ngha Nforand, under the supervision of the Acting Head of the Littoral II Customs Sector, Jean Patrice Hissoak Bonguen, were drawn to the consignment which was unlabelled and had an incorrect telephone number on it. Upon checking, they discovered Tablets loaded into 14 parcels containing 8,400 000Tramadol tablets.
The consignment came from an Ethiopian Airlines flight from South Sudan.
The SUN gathered that it was then transferred to judicial authorities for further proceedings, though nothing was mentioned of the trafficker(s).
This most recent move comes after the same Customs brigade impounded Cocaine worth 24kg on May 31 where the drugs were disguised in a cargo of shoes from Sao Paulo-Brazil to Douala.
Another 15kg of cocaine was also intercepted enroute to Sri Lanka, South Asia recently.
Tramadol is an opioid pain-relief medicine used for severe pain. However, Long-term use of the drug can cause damage to the liver and kidneys. Tramadol can also cause serious and life-threatening breathing problems. Indiscriminate use of tramadol has hazardous effects on cognitive functions mainly memory. It also causes drowsiness and hallucination. Some youths are currently addicted to the drug, reason why the state continues to battle the importation of same.