The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cocaine, Canadian Loud, and opioids with a combined estimated street value exceeding ₦10 billion during a series of intelligence-led operations across Lagos and other parts of the country.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the development in a statement on Sunday, detailing multiple arrests and seizures linked to international drug trafficking networks.
Among those arrested is 55-year-old businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, who was allegedly attempting to export 3.30 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed within the walls of cartons containing food items bound for the United Kingdom.
According to the NDLEA, the cocaine shipment was intercepted at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Wednesday, July 22. Chinedu was subsequently arrested on Thursday, July 23, after investigators traced the consignment to him.
Babafemi said three cargo agents—Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed, and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim—were initially arrested for processing the shipment. Their interrogation led operatives to Kenneth Okakpu, who reportedly delivered the consignment. Further investigations identified Chinedu as the alleged mastermind of the syndicate, leading to his arrest while he was allegedly preparing another cocaine shipment to the UK.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, on July 21. The arrest followed the interception of a 2.80-kilogramme consignment of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, which arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight.
The agency also recovered 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, valued at over ₦2.2 billion, from a shipment that arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight. The seizure was made during a joint cargo examination at the Lagos airport on July 24 following intelligence reports.
In another breakthrough, NDLEA officers intercepted a consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap at a Lagos courier company. The shipment was reportedly destined for the United Kingdom.
At the Apapa Seaport, operatives uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kilogrammes, with an estimated street value of more than ₦7.1 billion. The drugs were hidden inside three imported vehicles packed in a shipping container.
Outside Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested 30-year-old Mustapha Sani in Baure, Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State. He was allegedly found in possession of 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, including 200 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and 123 rounds of another calibre.
The NDLEA said the operations underscore its ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and curb the illicit movement of narcotics and other prohibited substances across the country.
