The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted cocaine worth over ₦4.4 billion In a significant anti-drug operation at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
The NDLEA disclosed that 845 wraps of cocaine, weighing 18.72 kilograms, were recovered from an international drug syndicate operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.
According to NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the drugs were discovered on October 29, 2024, during a post-landing inspection of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET900 from Addis Ababa.
The consignment, concealed in nine polythene bags within the lavatory waste compartments, was found following an alert to the MMIA Strategic Command.
“The drug consignments worth Four Billion Four Hundred and Ninety-Two Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N4,492,800,000) in street value were recovered from two lavatories of an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft,” Babafemi stated in a release.
The NDLEA confirmed that so far, 30 suspects have been interrogated in connection with the seizure. Investigations revealed that the drugs were transported from Brazil to Ethiopia through ingestion and excreted by couriers in Addis Ababa, where traffickers then attempted to smuggle them into Nigeria.
In related operations, the NDLEA blocked attempts by drug traffickers to export 2.928 kg of cocaine, cannabis, and tramadol hidden in body cream containers and artwork, bound for the UK, UAE, and Australia.
The Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) made these interceptions on October 28 at various courier companies in Lagos.
On October 29, NDLEA operatives at Lagos’s Apapa seaport intercepted 754,000 pills of tapentadol and acetaminophen, valued at ₦525 million, in a shipment from India.
This operation was conducted in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
Other recent NDLEA actions include: FCT, On November 2, operatives arrested 24-year-old Mujahid Hamisu with 147,000 pills of tramadol along the Kwali-Gwagwalada expressway.
Another suspect, Seun Abimbola, was detained with 512 grams of methamphetamine during a raid.
Kogi, Along Kabba-Obajana highway, NDLEA apprehended Mercy Ameh, 28, with ₦4.3 million in counterfeit currency.
Another individual, Shaibu Dahiru, was caught with 68 blocks of cannabis weighing 27.4 kg on the Lokoja-Okene road.
In Katsina, NDLEA officers arrested Usman Abba (alias Timaya), a known drug dealer, with cannabis at a local hotel.
In Adamawa, Augustine Dike and 31 others were detained with 50.3 grams of methamphetamine.
Along side Taraba and Ondo, where Officers seized 49.8 kg and 561 kg of cannabis in separate operations.
The NDLEA also reported advocacy efforts through its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, involving sensitization lectures in schools, workplaces, and communities nationwide.
Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the agency’s officers for their diligence in combating drug trafficking and fostering drug awareness.
This series of operations reflects NDLEA’s ongoing commitment to curbing drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria.
