Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted an international drug syndicate’s attempt to smuggle 845 wraps of cocaine, weighing 18.72 kilograms, into Lagos. The illicit consignment, valued at N4,492,800,000, was discovered aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight, ET900, from Addis Ababa to Lagos at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.

The drugs were found concealed in nine polythene bags inside waste collectors in the rear lavatories during post-landing cleaning. Following the alert from MMIA’s Strategic Command, NDLEA operatives retrieved the packages and subsequently questioned 30 suspects in connection with the case. Preliminary investigations revealed the drugs had been ingested by couriers in Brazil, excreted in Addis Ababa, and then picked up by other traffickers who attempted to bring them into Nigeria.

In a related development, NDLEA officers with the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI) foiled multiple attempts by drug traffickers to export 2.928 kilograms of cocaine, cannabis, and tramadol, hidden in body cream containers and artwork pieces, to Australia, the UAE, and the UK through Lagos-based courier companies on Monday, October 28.

At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a targeted shipment containing 754,000 pills of tapentadol and acetaminophen, valued at N525,000,000, in a container from India during a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service on October 29.

In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), operatives arrested a suspect, Mujahid Hamisu, 24, with 147,000 tramadol pills concealed in black nylon bags containing plumbing materials along the Kwali-Gwagwalada expressway on November 2. The same day, another suspect, Seun Abimbola, 47, was apprehended at Giri Junction with 512 grams of methamphetamine.

In Kogi State, NDLEA officers patrolling the Kabba-Obajana highway arrested Mercy Ameh, 28, who was found in possession of fake naira notes amounting to N4,353,200. Another suspect, Shaibu Dahiru, 27, was apprehended along the Lokoja-Okene-Abuja road with 68 blocks of cannabis, weighing 27.4 kilograms.

Elsewhere, a notorious drug dealer known as Usman Abba (alias Timaya) was arrested in Katsina on October 30 at Liberty Hotel, Kofar Kaura, with a consignment of Arizona cannabis. In Adamawa, a suspect named Augustine Dike, 31, was detained at Quarisa Hotel, Jimeta, with 50.3 grams of methamphetamine.

On November 1, NDLEA operatives arrested Danlami Fakwa, 46, in Jalingo, Taraba State, with 49.8 kilograms of cannabis, while a total of 561 kilograms of cannabis was seized from a Sienna bus in Ogbese village, Ondo State, on October 28.

In Kaduna State, Kabiru Yusuf, 25, was apprehended on October 2 with 51,813 tramadol and Exol-5 pills at NDA Bus Stop. In Edo State, NDLEA raids resulted in the seizure of 603.6 kilograms of cannabis at Farm Road, Ekiadolor, and 308.4 kilograms at Uroe community.

Meanwhile, NDLEA continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization efforts nationwide. Outreach programs have been conducted at Government Day Secondary School in Sanganare, Adamawa; College of Arts and Islamic Studies in Niger State; Regina Catholic International College in Abia State; Akinmorin Grammar School in Oyo State; and Redeemer’s International School in Ebonyi State, among others.

Commending the agency’s officers and units for their recent successes, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), lauded their commitment to enforcing drug laws and spreading anti-drug advocacy messages.