The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud cannabis with an estimated street value of ₦12.397 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos, while also dismantling a criminal syndicate accused of secretly planting illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting interstate passengers. The latest NDLEA drug seizure operations also led to the arrest of several suspects across different states, including a businesswoman allegedly caught with cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives arrested 38-year-old Iwebema Ogechi Peace at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport on June 21 after receiving credible intelligence. A search of her checked baggage reportedly uncovered four large parcels of cocaine concealed inside a professionally constructed false compartment. The agency said the recovered cocaine weighed 7.5 kilograms.
“A search of her check-in luggage led to the discovery of four large parcels of cocaine concealed in false bottom professionally created in her bag. The parcels of the Class A drug found hidden in the bag have a combined weight of 7.5 kilograms,” the statement said.
The NDLEA disclosed that officers monitored a 40-foot shipping container carrying Canadian Loud cannabis for more than four weeks before intercepting it during a joint inspection with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at Apapa Port on June 23. The container reportedly departed Toronto, Canada, on April 25 before transiting through Montreal and Morocco en route to Lagos.
In addition to two vehicles, a Ford and a Nissan, the container concealed 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud cannabis valued at ₦12.397 billion. The NDLEA drug seizure represents one of the agency’s largest interceptions of imported cannabis in recent months.
The anti-narcotics agency also uncovered a syndicate accused of placing illicit drugs inside the luggage of unsuspecting passengers travelling by road.
The investigation began after operatives intercepted a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi, Anambra State, to Abuja, where officers discovered 467.7 grams of methamphetamine hidden inside a passenger’s bag. The passenger, identified as Gloria Peter, reportedly denied ownership of the package. Further investigations led to the arrest of bus loaders in Nnewi.
According to the agency, the loaders admitted that one of them placed the drug package inside the passenger’s luggage on the instruction of the bus driver, Abdurrazak Isah. The driver later identified another passenger, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, as the alleged owner of the narcotics, leading to his arrest during a follow-up operation in Abuja.
In separate operations, NDLEA operatives arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at Iddo Motor Park in Lagos with 209.5 kilograms of Scottish Loud cannabis allegedly destined for Enugu.
The agency also intercepted a truck transporting illicit drugs from Togo through the Benin Republic, arresting two Beninese nationals, Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19, alongside Nigerian suspect Jackson ThankGod. A search of the truck uncovered 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg hidden inside a fabricated compartment.
Elsewhere, officers arrested Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway after recovering 118 kilograms of skunk concealed among legitimate goods in a truck travelling to Onitsha. In Amukoko, Lagos, operatives also arrested Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, with 28.8 kilograms of skunk. Investigators alleged that Rashidat’s residence served as a storage facility before the drugs were distributed to customers.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations for sustaining the agency’s offensive against drug trafficking nationwide. He praised the commands for maintaining “their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitisation activities,” while urging personnel to remain committed to disrupting illegal drug networks across the country.
