Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, with 4.80 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and railings of travelling bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Tunde was arrested on September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2, MMIA, while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
According to NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, a search of the suspect’s luggage uncovered 16 parcels of cocaine concealed in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, as well as 195 wraps hidden in the railings of four travelling bags.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment hidden in the bags was intended for delivery to his partner in Italy.
Meanwhile, the agency said its operatives intercepted consignments of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and codeine-based cough syrup worth more than N5 billion at the Apapa, Tincan Island and Onne ports.
At Apapa Port, 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million were recovered from a container originating from Bangkok, Thailand. The drugs were concealed in two refrigerators and two cartons.
At Onne Port, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives recovered 22kg of Loud hidden in a travelling bag and three vehicles shipped in one of two watch-listed containers. Another container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.
The agency said the codeine and Loud consignments seized at Onne had a combined street value of N833.2 million.
At Tincan Island Port, officers recovered 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg from a container shipped from Montreal, Canada. The consignment, concealed in a Toyota Sienna and Hyundai Elantra alongside other items, was valued at over N3.8 billion.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 20,234kg of cannabis, commonly known as skunk, cultivated on 8.0936 hectares of farmland in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area.
The operation followed the arrest of a 41-year-old suspect, Agbo Dennis, in Plateau State, where 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg were seized.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives recovered 209,000 tramadol tablets from an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace. In a separate operation, a 23-year-old suspect, Ekundayo Taiwo, was arrested after 61 grammes of Colorado and 24 grammes of methamphetamine were intercepted in a waybill package.
In Kogi State, officers intercepted a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus along the Okene-Lokoja Highway and recovered two sachets of methamphetamine weighing 1kg from a waybill. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner, Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, 29, in Utako, Abuja.
NDLEA operatives also recovered 32.2kg of cannabis sativa from the residence of a suspect, Saturday Omimi, 35, in Uyere community, Ovia North-East LGA of Edo State.
Another suspect, Osazuwa Iyabor Michael, 23, was arrested at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with Loud, Colorado, tramadol, methamphetamine, Swinol and Molly.
In Plateau State, the agency also arrested 47-year-old Idris Mohammed Kurra, a fugitive who allegedly jumped court bail six years ago.
Kurra had been facing trial before the Federal High Court in Jos over alleged possession and dealing in 198kg of skunk but reportedly absconded after being granted bail in December 2020.
The NDLEA said its commands nationwide also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged them to sustain intelligence-driven operations against drug trafficking networks while maintaining the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
