The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has intercepted and confiscated 35 cartons of syrups containing codeine.
This was disclosed by the NAFDAC South East Zone, Director, Mr Martins Iluyomade, in Awka, Anambra State, Southeast Nigeria, on Monday.
He said a team of officers led by the Coordinator of NAFDAC, Anambra, Mr Louis Mmadubuatta, stormed two warehouses at the Bridge Head Market and recovered the items. According to him, codeine remains prohibited for distribution in the open market due to its psychoactive contents.
Mmadubuatta said codeine had been abused by people, especially the youth and had manifested in a number of vices including rape, crime and mental health problems. He disclosed that two packing stores located at the Bridge Head Drug Market, Onitsha, were visited by a team of officers from the Anambra office led by the state coordinator. “In total, 35 cartons and some fraction of codeine syrup were evacuated from the two warehouses. “Codeine remains a restricted drug, it is prohibited from distribution in the open market because of its negative social and mental consequences if abused,” Mmadubuatta added.
