NDLEA Uncovers N12.39bn Cannabis Haul, Arrests Businesswoman with Cocaine at Lagos Airport

By Zainab Uzomah| Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a 38-year-old businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while attempting to smuggle 7.5 kilograms of cocaine to Beijing, China, and also seized 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud cannabis valued at N12.39 billion at the Apapa Port Complex.

According to a statement signed by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, the suspect was arrested on June 21 at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to China. Acting on intelligence, NDLEA operatives searched her luggage and discovered four large parcels of cocaine concealed in a professionally constructed false bottom. The suspect reportedly told investigators she regularly travelled to China to purchase goods for resale in Nigeria.

The agency also recorded one of its biggest seizures this year after recovering 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in a 40-foot container carrying two vehicles at the Apapa Port Complex. The consignment, estimated to have a street value of N12.397 billion, was intercepted during a joint examination involving the NDLEA Apapa Strategic Command, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.

The statement said the container had been under NDLEA surveillance for over four weeks, with officers tracking its movement from Toronto, Canada, through Montreal, Morocco and Tin Can Port before it was eventually intercepted at Apapa on June 23.

In another operation, the agency dismantled a syndicate that allegedly plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers at motor parks.

The operation began after NDLEA operatives intercepted a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi, Anambra State, to Abuja at Abaji in the Federal Capital Territory on June 20. During a search, officers recovered 467.7 grams of methamphetamine concealed inside a waybill package hidden in a passenger’s bag.

Investigations led to the arrest of the intended recipient, Gloria Peter, who denied ownership of the package. Further investigations resulted in the arrest of bus loaders in Nnewi, who disclosed that the drugs had been secretly planted in the woman’s luggage on the instruction of the driver, Abdurrazak Isah. The driver subsequently identified one of his passengers, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, as the owner of the illicit consignment, leading to his arrest in Abuja.

The agency also arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at the Iddo Motor Park in Lagos with 209.5 kilograms of Scottish Loud cannabis concealed in a consignment destined for Enugu.

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck on Mile 2 Bridge, Lagos, and arrested three suspected transnational drug traffickers—two Beninese nationals, Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19, alongside a Nigerian, Jackson ThankGod.

A search of the vehicle uncovered 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg hidden inside a specially fabricated compartment in the truck. The suspects were allegedly transporting the illicit consignment from Togo through the Benin Republic into Nigeria.

The agency further arrested Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while transporting 118 kilograms of skunk concealed among legitimate goods in a truck heading to Onitsha, Anambra State.

Also in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, at a residence in Amukoko where 28.8 kilograms of skunk were recovered. Preliminary investigations revealed that Helen allegedly used Rashidat’s residence to store illicit drugs before distributing them to customers.

Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said its commands nationwide sustained the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools and communities across Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi and Enugu states.

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