Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered multiple drug trafficking attempts across Nigeria, intercepting cocaine and cannabis cleverly concealed in food containers and snack packs, while also arresting several suspects, including a Lagos-based fashion designer.
In one of the major interceptions, the agency said 12 parcels of cocaine weighing 2.80 kilograms were discovered at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the drugs were hidden in false compartments of food flasks and were being prepared for export to the United Kingdom on a Virgin Atlantic flight.
The operation, which took place on April 9, led to the arrest of two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim (33) and Ogabi Monday Akorede (39). Follow-up investigations later resulted in the arrest of the alleged sender, 52-year-old freight forwarder Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola.
In another separate case at the same airport on April 8, NDLEA officers intercepted 2.90 kilograms of a strong cannabis strain known as “Loud,” concealed inside snack food packages imported from the United States on a Delta Airlines flight.
Two clearing agents, Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun, were first arrested before the consignee, 29-year-old fashion designer Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, was tracked and picked up at his residence in Ogba, Lagos.
Beyond Lagos, NDLEA operations extended across several states, with significant seizures recorded nationwide.
In Kaduna State, operatives intercepted a trailer along the Kaduna–Zaria highway loaded with cement. A search of the vehicle revealed 760 blocks and 33 jumbo bags of skunk, weighing 847 kilograms. The driver, Umar Garba Haruna (33), was arrested.
In Cross River State, a joint operation with military personnel led to the arrest of 53-year-old Alice Sunday Udoh during a raid in Uwet community. Authorities also destroyed about 15,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on six hectares of farmland, while another 119 kilograms were recovered.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives stormed cannabis plantations in Ovia North East Local Government Area, destroying over 2,281 kilograms of the substance and arresting three suspects, including a 62-year-old man. Additional arrests were also made in Delta State, where over 87 kilograms of skunk and cannabis seeds were seized.
Meanwhile, in Lagos, operatives arrested two suspects along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway while attempting to traffic 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injection to Ghana. On the same day, a separate raid on a building on Lagos Island led to the recovery of 95.8 kilograms of cannabis.
The NDLEA said the coordinated operations reflect its ongoing nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks and illicit substance distribution.
