The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded major breakthroughs in its nationwide offensive against transnational drug trafficking, arresting a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother attempting to smuggle 13 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom and dismantling a Malaysia-bound cocaine syndicate allegedly masterminded by a Nigerian PhD student studying overseas.
The high-profile arrests, announced on Sunday, highlight the increasingly sophisticated tactics adopted by international drug cartels and the growing involvement of elderly persons and highly educated individuals in illicit narcotics trafficking.
The agency also intercepted thousands of tramadol capsules concealed in modified vehicle fuel tanks, seized large quantities of cannabis and methamphetamine across several states, and arrested multiple suspects in coordinated intelligence-led operations nationwide.
The largest airport seizure involved 67-year-old Mary Barek, a Nigerian-British citizen employed as a caregiver in the United Kingdom. She was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.
A search of her luggage uncovered 31 large wraps of cocaine weighing 13 kilogrammes, ingeniously disguised as fresh plantain peels and concealed among food items. NDLEA said the suspect admitted ownership of the illicit consignment during interrogation.
In another major operation, operatives dismantled an international drug trafficking network attempting to smuggle cocaine to Malaysia through a shipment concealed within the walls of cartons of Orijin Bitters.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, investigations led to the arrest of 45-year-old Nwabueze Onyeka, a PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, identified as the alleged mastermind of the trafficking syndicate.
The operation followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.8 kilogrammes hidden inside nine cartons of the herbal alcoholic beverage that formed part of a consolidated cargo destined for Kuala Lumpur.
Babafemi said investigators initially arrested four suspects in Lagos, including a cargo agent, the driver who transported the shipment, a trader at the ASPANDA Market in the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, and another suspect who allegedly supplied the specially fabricated cartons used to conceal the drugs.
Further investigations reportedly traced the network to Aziora community in Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, where Onyeka was arrested while allegedly hiding in his hometown.
Beyond the cocaine seizures, NDLEA operatives intercepted 43,980 capsules of tramadol concealed inside two specially modified vehicle fuel tanks along the Wukari–Zaki Biam Road in Taraba State.
The suspect, Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, was arrested while allegedly transporting the consignment from Onitsha, Anambra State.
In Kaduna State, anti-narcotics officers arrested Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, during a raid in Gwantu, recovering 1.7 kilogrammes of methamphetamine.
Operatives in Ebonyi State also recovered 231.7 kilogrammes of skunk from a 65-year-old suspect, Francis Eja, while in Plateau State, a 75-year-old suspect, Alhaji Babani, was arrested at Kurgwi in Qua’an Pan Local Government Area with 15 kilogrammes of skunk.
In Gombe State, intelligence-led operations resulted in the arrest of Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, after officers recovered 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilogrammes at Kuri village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.
Alongside the enforcement operations, the agency said it sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitisation programmes conducted in schools and communities across Anambra, Enugu, Ogun and Kano states.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the commands for combining aggressive drug supply reduction with sustained public awareness initiatives aimed at curbing drug abuse.
The latest arrests underscore mounting concerns among security agencies over the increasingly sophisticated concealment techniques employed by drug syndicates and the recruitment of elderly persons, professionals and unsuspecting couriers into international trafficking networks as Nigeria intensifies intelligence-driven efforts to combat organised transnational crime.
