The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced on Sunday that its operatives have intercepted 12 sizeable parcels of cocaine hidden inside specially modified food flasks destined for the United Kingdom. The illicit shipment, weighing 2.80 kilograms, was discovered at the export section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport during preparations for a Virgin Atlantic flight.
According to the agency, two cargo agents—Ama Obinna Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Monday Akorede, 39—were immediately apprehended in connection with the attempted export. Further investigations led to the arrest of a 52-year-old freight agent, Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola, identified as the sender of the consignment.
In a related operation at the airport’s import section, NDLEA officers intercepted 2.90 kilograms of “Loud,” a potent cannabis strain concealed in snack packages arriving from the United States aboard a Delta Air Lines flight. Two clearing agents—Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun—were initially detained, while the intended recipient, 29-year-old fashion designer Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, was later arrested in Lagos.
Beyond Lagos, a series of coordinated anti-drug operations across the country yielded major seizures. Along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, operatives intercepted a truck transporting cement and uncovered 847 kilograms of cannabis concealed within, leading to the arrest of driver Umar Garba Haruna.
In Cross River State, a joint raid involving NDLEA personnel and soldiers targeted a forest in Uwet community, where approximately 15,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on six hectares of land were destroyed, with an additional 119 kilograms recovered. A 53-year-old suspect, Alice Sunday Udoh, was arrested during the operation.
Similar crackdowns in Edo and Delta states resulted in the destruction and recovery of large quantities of cannabis, along with multiple arrests. In Lagos, authorities apprehended two suspects transporting thousands of tramadol capsules and phenobarbital injections en route to Ghana, while another raid on Lagos Island led to the seizure of nearly 96 kilograms of cannabis.
The agency also highlighted its ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which includes awareness programmes in schools, religious centres, and communities nationwide.
NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations across various states, praising their efforts in tackling drug trafficking while promoting preventive education, and urged them to sustain the momentum.