NDLEA busts hidden drugs at Lagos airport

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted multiple consignments of illicit drugs concealed in everyday items at Lagos, disrupting attempts to smuggle the substances to international destinations.

The interceptions took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a courier facility in Lagos, targeting shipments bound for Italy and New Zealand, according to a statement issued Sunday by NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi.

Two Italy bound consignments led to the arrest of suspects at the airport. One of them, Friday Ehianuka, 37, was apprehended on March 20 while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome. He was found with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg hidden inside containers of skin-lightening body cream in his luggage. Investigators said the Milan based suspect admitted he was to be paid in euros upon successful delivery.

In another operation on March 18, NDLEA operatives intercepted Christian Agbonhese, 38, who was about to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan. A search of his luggage uncovered 28,470 pills of opioids, including 23,150 tramadol 225mg tablets, 4,000 tapentadol 250mg tablets, and 1,320 tramadol 100mg pills concealed in two large winter jackets.

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At a Lagos based courier firm, officers also intercepted two parcels of “Loud,” a strong strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, hidden in a carton shipped from the United States. Another consignment containing 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the walls of a carton and destined for New Zealand was also seized.

Beyond Lagos, the agency recorded a series of major seizures nationwide. In Kano State, operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, and Uche Johnson Festus, 47, with a combined 198kg of skunk. In Lagos, 21,737 bottles of codeine based syrup were recovered during a raid in the Otto, Ijora area, while two suspects were arrested on the Third Mainland Bridge with 8,380 bottles of the substance.

In Edo State, operatives recovered 97.5kg of skunk from a residence in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area. Similarly, in the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Gwagwalada Expressway, recovering 91,840 pills of tramadol concealed in compartments, leading to the driver’s arrest.

Further operations in Oyo, Kaduna, Taraba, and Adamawa states led to additional seizures, including 71.2kg of skunk allegedly smuggled through the Oyan River and over 586,000 pills of tramadol and other opioids recovered along the Kaduna-Zaria highway.

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The agency added that its commands across the country intensified the War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools, religious centres, and communities during the week.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain efforts to combat drug trafficking and abuse nationwide.