Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted cocaine concealed in food flasks destined for the United Kingdom and seized large quantities of cannabis and opioids in coordinated operations across several states.
The agency said 12 large parcels of cocaine weighing 2.80 kilograms were discovered hidden in the false bottom of food flasks at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
The illicit consignment was scheduled for shipment via a Virgin Atlantic flight to the UK. The interception took place on April 9, 2026, leading to the arrest of two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Monday Akorede, 39.
Further investigations identified the sender as 52-year-old freight forwarder Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola, who was subsequently apprehended.
In a separate operation at the airport’s import shed on April 8, NDLEA officers intercepted 2.90 kilograms of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in snack food packs arriving from the United States aboard a Delta Air Lines flight. Two clearing agents, Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun, were initially arrested.
The consignee, 29-year-old fashion designer Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, was later picked up at his residence in Ogba, Lagos.
Beyond Lagos, the agency ramped up enforcement nationwide.
In Kaduna, operatives intercepted a cement-laden trailer along the Kaduna-Zaria highway and recovered 847 kilograms of skunk hidden within the cargo. The truck driver, Umar Garba Haruna, 33, was arrested.
In Cross River State, a joint operation involving NDLEA officers and soldiers led to the arrest of 53-year-old Alice Sunday Udoh during a raid on a forest in Uwet community, Akamkpa Local Government Area.
The team destroyed 15,000 kilograms of skunk cultivated on six hectares of farmland and recovered an additional 119 kilograms.
Similarly, in Edo State, operatives raided a cannabis farm in Saboro camp, Ovia North East Local Government Area, destroying 2,281.43 kilograms of the substance. Three suspects — Nweke Smart, 27; Christopher Egbe, 62; and Monday Ayan, 45 — were arrested, with some found in possession of processed cannabis and seeds.
In Delta State, two suspects, Sunday Odili, 49, and Ijenebe Joshua, 39, were apprehended with 87.838 kilograms of skunk and seeds at the Powerline area of Okwo.
Back in Lagos, operatives arrested Chinedu Ogbekene and Zindozin Aloukou Bienvenu along the Mile 2–Badagry expressway while attempting to transport 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injection to Ghana.
On the same day, a raid on a two-storey building in Lagos Island yielded 95.8 kilograms of skunk.
The agency also highlighted its ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, noting that sensitisation activities were carried out in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities nationwide during the past week.
Commending the efforts of officers across multiple commands, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Buba Marwa praised the balance between enforcement and public education. “I commend the officers and men of MMIA, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Kaduna, and Lagos Commands for the arrests and seizures. Their drug supply reduction efforts are well balanced with WADA sensitisation activities,” he said. Marwa charged operatives across the country to “maintain the current tempo” in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.
