The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a social media–driven drug distribution network that disguised illicit substances as imported Christmas cookies and snacks, leading to the arrest of two key suspects in the Lekki area of Lagos.
In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the syndicate, operated by Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi, had imported consignments of Canadian Loud—a potent strain of cannabis—and packaged them in colourful designer sachets branded with images of cookies and snacks for retail distribution. The suspects allegedly marketed and delivered the products through a WhatsApp platform.
Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives raided the suspects’ apartment on Ojulari Street, Ikate, Lekki, on Saturday, where they recovered five kilogrammes of Loud and a large stock of the branded packaging materials.
In a separate operation, officers arrested a 38-year-old drug kingpin, Philip Ucheka, last Thursday while he was taking delivery of 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 55.6 kilogrammes in the Ladipo area of Mushin. Three delivery vehicles were also impounded.
The agency further intercepted 100 grammes of Loud concealed in a teddy bear imported from Thailand at a courier company in Lagos. At another logistics facility, 548 capsules of tramadol hidden in bottles of Vitamin C and Magnesium destined for the United Kingdom were seized.
In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 55-year-old suspect, Wasiu Kareem, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway with 8,000 ampoules of pentazocine, 590 bottles of codeine syrup, 1,500 Co-codamol pills, and 9,900 tramadol capsules.
Seven suspects were arrested in Ondo State when officers raided the Ipe forest in Akoko South-East, seizing 3,077 kilogrammes of skunk. The suspects include John Ede, Ede Ndubuisi, Ikenna Abe, Eze Chukwuma, Maduabuchi Odo, Nnaji Chudubem and Gorge Okowor.
In Kogi State, operatives arrested 49-year-old Anthony Sylvester along the Okene–Lokoja highway with 649 kilogrammes of skunk. At the Seme border area of Lagos, officers seized 487 blocks of skunk weighing 243.5 kilogrammes from a warehouse in Ashipa and arrested 33-year-old Abubakar Shuaibu.
Meanwhile, in Kano, Tsalha Alasan, 47, was intercepted along the Zaria–Kano road with 137 kilogrammes of skunk. In Bauchi State, three suspects—Godspower Appeal, Ernest Upong and Godday Chukwudi—were arrested with 322 blocks of skunk weighing 209 kilogrammes at Fanshanu village, with a Toyota Highlander vehicle recovered.
Other arrests included John Ekojo, 51, found with 210.15 kilogrammes of skunk along the Abuja–Jos highway, and a couple, Abubakar Abdullahi and Jamila Abdullahi, apprehended along the Abuja–Kaduna highway with 725 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed in a sack of maize. Another suspect, Awwal Sabiu, 20, was caught with 400 rounds of the same ammunition at the Abuja–Kaduna tollgate.
Babafemi added that NDLEA commands nationwide continued War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers of DOGI, Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Seme and Bauchi commands for their successful operations and urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
