NDLEA INTERCEPTS CHINA BOUND BUSINESSWOMAN WITH COCAINE, SEIZES N12.3 BILLION CANNABIS SHIPMENT AT LAGOS PORT
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 38 year old businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, after uncovering 7.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the false bottom of her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
The suspect, who told investigators she frequently travels to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria, was arrested on June 21, 2026, while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing through Terminal 2 of the airport.
According to the agency, officers acted on credible intelligence before conducting a search of her checked luggage, where they discovered four parcels of cocaine professionally concealed in a hidden compartment.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, valued at about N12.397 billion in street value, during a joint cargo examination at the Apapa Port.
The agency said the illicit consignment was concealed in a 40 foot container carrying Ford and Nissan vehicles. Investigators had monitored the shipment for more than four weeks after it departed Toronto, Canada, before transiting through Montreal and Tangier, Morocco, and eventually arriving in Lagos.
The examination was conducted alongside officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in the Federal Capital Territory, working with colleagues in Anambra State, dismantled a syndicate accused of planting illicit drugs inside the luggage of unsuspecting passengers travelling on commercial buses.
The investigation began after officers intercepted a methamphetamine consignment hidden inside a waybill package on a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi to Abuja. A woman initially identified as the intended recipient denied ownership of the package, prompting further investigation.
NDLEA said subsequent arrests of bus loaders and the driver led investigators to the alleged owner of the drug consignment, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye. The recovered methamphetamine weighed 467.7 grams.
In another operation, officers arrested 57 year old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos, with 209.5 kilograms of Scottish Loud, another potent strain of cannabis, which was being transported to Enugu State.
The agency also arrested two citizens of the Benin, Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19, alongside a Nigerian suspect, Jackson ThankGod, after intercepting a truck on the Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos.
A search of the vehicle uncovered 558,900 tablets of Tramadol 250mg concealed inside a specially fabricated compartment. The truck was reportedly transporting the drugs from Togo through Benin Republic into Nigeria.
In another case, Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo were arrested along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway while conveying 118 kilograms of skunk hidden among legitimate goods in a truck travelling from Lagos Island to Onitsha.
At Amukoko, Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa'adullah, 53, after recovering 28.8 kilograms of skunk. Investigators alleged that Helen stored the illicit drugs at Rashidat's residence before distributing them to customers.
The agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse campaign with sensitisation programmes held in schools and communities across Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi, and Enugu States.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged commands nationwide to sustain the agency's drug supply reduction efforts alongside public education initiatives.
