NDLEA busts cocaine, cannabis hidden in food flasks, snacks, arrests fashion designer, agents

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered several sophisticated drug trafficking attempts, including cocaine hidden in food flasks and cannabis concealed in snack packs, leading to multiple arrests across Nigeria.

In Lagos, officers at the export section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport intercepted 12 parcels of cocaine cleverly concealed in the false bottoms of food flasks. The shipment, weighing 2.80 kilogrammes, was reportedly destined for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight.

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the interception on April 9 led to the arrest of two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim (33) and Ogabi Monday Akorede (39). A follow-up investigation also resulted in the arrest of the alleged sender, a 52-year-old freight forwarder identified as Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola.

In a separate operation at the import shed on April 8, operatives discovered 2.90 kilogrammes of “loud,” a high-grade cannabis strain, hidden inside snack packages arriving on a Delta Airlines flight from the United States. Two cargo clearing agents were initially arrested, while the consignee, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, was later apprehended in the Ogba area of Lagos.

Elsewhere, NDLEA officers intercepted a truck along the Kaduna–Zaria highway on April 13 carrying cement but concealing 847 kilogrammes of skunk cannabis packed in 760 blocks and 33 jumbo bags. The driver, Umar Garba Haruna (33), was arrested.

In Cross River State, a raid on April 16 in Uwet community, Akamkpa LGA, led to the arrest of Alice Sunday Udoh (53) and the destruction of a large cannabis plantation covering six hectares, with about 15,000 kilogrammes of the substance destroyed. Additional seizures were recorded in Edo State, where over 2,281 kilogrammes of cannabis were destroyed and three suspects arrested.

In Delta State, two suspects were apprehended with nearly 88 kilogrammes of skunk and cannabis seeds.

Meanwhile, in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects along the Mile 2–Badagry Expressway while allegedly attempting to smuggle tramadol and phenobarbital injections into Ghana. A separate raid on Lagos Island also led to the recovery of 95.8 kilogrammes of cannabis.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the nationwide operations, urging them to sustain both enforcement and public awareness campaigns under the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.