The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a series of major breakthroughs in its nationwide anti-narcotics campaign, arresting a businesswoman allegedly attempting to smuggle 7.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to China, intercepting a ₦12.4 billion consignment of imported cannabis at Apapa Port in Lagos, and dismantling a syndicate accused of planting illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting interstate travellers.
The coordinated operations, carried out across Lagos, Abuja and Anambra States, also resulted in the arrest of three suspected transnational traffickers allegedly transporting 558,900 pills of Tramadol concealed in a specially fabricated compartment of a truck.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the China-bound suspect, 38-year-old Iwebema Ogechi Peace, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing.
Babafemi said NDLEA operatives acted on credible intelligence and, during a search of the suspect’s checked luggage, uncovered four parcels of cocaine weighing a total of 7.5 kilogrammes hidden inside a professionally constructed false bottom of her suitcase.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that she frequently travelled to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria.
In one of the agency’s largest cannabis seizures this year, NDLEA operatives also intercepted 4,959 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in a 40-foot container at the Apapa Port Complex.
The illicit consignment, estimated to have a street value of about ₦12.4 billion, was recovered during a joint cargo examination involving the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies following weeks of intelligence-driven surveillance.
Investigators disclosed that the container, which also carried Ford and Nissan vehicles, had been under NDLEA surveillance since leaving Toronto, Canada, on April 25. The shipment reportedly transited through Montreal and Morocco before arriving at Apapa Port, where it was intercepted.
In another operation, NDLEA officers in Abuja, working in collaboration with their counterparts in Anambra State, uncovered a criminal network allegedly involved in planting narcotics inside the luggage of unsuspecting passengers travelling on commercial buses.
The syndicate was exposed after operatives intercepted a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi to Abuja and recovered 467.7 grammes of suspected methamphetamine concealed in a passenger’s bag.
The intended recipient, Gloria Peter, reportedly denied ownership of the package, prompting investigators to trace the consignment to its point of loading in Nnewi.
Further investigations allegedly revealed that a bus loader secretly inserted the drug package into the passenger’s luggage on the instruction of the driver, Abdurrazak Isah, who subsequently identified one of his passengers, Onyebuchi Okoye, as the owner of the illicit consignment.
In a separate operation at Iddo Motor Park in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe while allegedly attempting to transport 209.5 kilogrammes of Scottish Loud to Enugu State.
The agency also arrested two Beninese nationals, Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19, alongside a Nigerian suspect, Jackson ThankGod, after intercepting a truck at Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos.
A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg concealed in a specially fabricated compartment beneath the truck.
On the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, operatives also arrested Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo while allegedly transporting 118 kilogrammes of skunk hidden among legitimate goods in a truck travelling from Lagos Island to Onitsha.
In another raid in the Amukoko area of Lagos, officers arrested Helen Idiji and Rashidat Sa’adullah, recovering 28.8 kilogrammes of skunk.
According to the agency, preliminary investigations indicated that Idiji allegedly used Sa’adullah’s residence as a storage facility before distributing the drugs to customers.
Beyond enforcement activities, the NDLEA said it continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools and communities across Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi and Enugu States as part of efforts to reduce drug demand through public education.
Commending officers involved in the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.), praised the various commands for combining aggressive enforcement with sustained drug abuse prevention campaigns.
He urged officers to maintain the momentum in the agency’s ongoing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks and strengthen public awareness against the dangers of illicit drug use.
