The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a significant breakthrough in its fight against narcotics, intercepting parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in microwaves imported from Thailand and wraps of cocaine built into ladies’ lipsticks going to Guinea at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The agency’s operatives recovered 23 parcels of Loud weighing 11.3kg concealed in new microwaves on July 7, 2025, and arrested a suspect, Ezenwegbu Chike, in connection with the seizure.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the Lagos airport intercepted another consignment of cocaine built into ladies’ lipsticks as part of a cargo containing hair attachments, face powder, and other items heading to Malabo, Guinea.
No less than 400 grams of cocaine and phenacetine, a cutting agent, were recovered from the lipsticks when dismantled, and a businessman, Ezeikwelume Prince Afam, was arrested on July 11 in connection with the seizure.
The NDLEA also announced the arrest of a notorious drug kingpin, Okechukwu Izugha, aka Okey Omeogo, who had been on the run for 12 months.
Izugha was nabbed on July 9 at his wife’s shop in Ijesha market after being linked to a 9kg cocaine seizure in August 2024.
His wife, Maureen Izugha, was previously arrested with 500 grams of cocaine and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.
In other operations, the NDLEA destroyed over 28,000kg of cannabis on three farms in Edo State, recovered 700kg of compressed Ghana Loud cannabis at Okun-Ajah Beach in Lagos, and seized thousands of pills of tramadol and other opioids in Gombe, Borno, and Taraba states.
