Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs, including opioids, cannabis, and methamphetamine, in a series of coordinated operations across the country.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the seizures were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and a courier facility, with multiple suspects arrested.
According to the statement, two suspects linked to drug shipments bound for Italy were apprehended at the Lagos airport. One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was arrested on March 20 while attempting to board a flight to Rome. He was found with 2,698 pills of tramadol concealed inside containers of body cream packed in his luggage. The suspect, who resides in Milan, reportedly admitted he was promised payment in euros for delivering the drugs.
In a separate operation, another passenger, Christian Agbonhese, was intercepted on March 18 while trying to board a flight to Milan. A search of his luggage led to the discovery of 28,470 pills of various opioids hidden inside winter jackets.
NDLEA operatives also intercepted parcels containing 1kg of a strong cannabis strain, known as “Loud,” shipped from the United States, and foiled an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed within carton walls to New Zealand.
Beyond Lagos, similar operations were carried out in other parts of the country. In Kano, two suspects were arrested with over 198kg of skunk, while in Oyo State, another suspect was caught with 71.2kg of the substance allegedly smuggled through a river route from the Benin Republic.
In Lagos, a raid on a storage facility in the Ijora area led to the recovery of more than 21,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup, a substance widely abused. Additional suspects were arrested on the Third Mainland Bridge while transporting large quantities of the same product.
Further seizures were recorded in Kaduna, Taraba, and Adamawa states, where hundreds of thousands of tramadol pills were recovered and several suspects taken into custody. In Adamawa alone, six individuals were arrested in connection with a consignment of 82.8kg of tramadol found in a truck.
The agency said the operations were based on credible intelligence and part of its ongoing efforts to curb drug trafficking and abuse across the country.
NDLEA has intensified its crackdown on illicit drugs in recent years under its current leadership, with authorities reaffirming their commitment to dismantling drug networks and prosecuting offenders nationwide.
