NDLEA intercepts China-bound businesswoman with cocaine, Seizes N12.3bn cannabis shipment

Crime Diary

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a businesswoman attempting to smuggle cocaine to China, intercepted illicit drugs worth over N12.3 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos, and dismantled a syndicate that plants narcotics in the luggage of unsuspecting interstate passengers.

The agency also arrested suspected transnational drug traffickers and recovered hundreds of thousands of tramadol pills concealed in a specially fabricated compartment of a truck.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the 38-year-old suspect, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing, China.

The suspect, who claimed she regularly travelled to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria, was intercepted on June 21 following credible intelligence.

A search of her luggage uncovered 7.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in a professionally constructed false bottom compartment.

In another major operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed inside a 40-foot container at the Apapa Port in Lagos.

The shipment, comprising 195 large sacks of the illicit drug with an estimated street value of N12.397 billion, was recovered during a joint examination involving the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.

Babafemi said the agency tracked the shipment for more than four weeks from Toronto, Canada, through Montreal and Tangier Med, Morocco, before it arrived in Lagos.

The container was monitored from its arrival at Tin Can Port before being transferred to Apapa Port, where it was eventually intercepted.

In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives, working with their counterparts in Anambra State, uncovered a syndicate that secretly plants illicit drugs inside the luggage of unsuspecting passengers travelling by commercial buses.

The operation followed the interception of a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi to Abuja, where officers discovered 467.7 grams of methamphetamine concealed inside a passenger’s luggage.

Investigations led to the arrest of the supposed recipient, Gloria Peter, who denied ownership of the package.

Further investigations resulted in the arrest of bus loaders in Nnewi, who revealed that the drugs had been planted in the passenger’s bag on the instruction of the driver, Abdurrazak Isah.

The driver subsequently identified one Onyebuchi Victor Okoye as the owner of the illicit consignment, leading to his arrest in Abuja.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives arrested Ikechukwu Uwakwe, 57, at Iddo Motor Park in Lagos while attempting to transport 209.5 kilograms of Scottish Loud to Enugu.

The agency also arrested two nationals of the Republic of Benin—Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19—alongside a Nigerian, Jackson ThankGod, after intercepting their truck on the Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos.

A search of the vehicle uncovered 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg hidden inside a specially fabricated compartment.

In another operation along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, NDLEA arrested Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo while transporting 118 kilograms of skunk concealed among legitimate goods in a truck bound for Onitsha.

Similarly, Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, were arrested in the Amukoko area of Lagos, where officers recovered 28.8 kilograms of skunk. Investigators alleged that the principal suspect used the location as a storage and distribution point for illicit drugs.

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

Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), urged personnel across the country to sustain the momentum in reducing drug supply while intensifying public awareness campaigns against drug abuse.