The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered two separate international drug trafficking operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, arresting a Nigerian returnee with 25.05kg of methamphetamine and an American citizen allegedly importing 33.95kg of cannabis from Thailand.
The Nigerian suspect, 56-year-old Chinedu Onwude, was apprehended on November 11, 2026, shortly after arriving from South Africa at Terminal II of the Lagos airport.
The NDLEA said operatives discovered 25 parcels of methamphetamine concealed inside packs of assorted breakfast cereals and cereal-based food products in his two travelling boxes.
The suspect, who reportedly holds Nigerian and South African passports, had lived in South Africa for more than 24 years.
During preliminary interrogation, he allegedly admitted adopting the identity Omokan Isaac Babatope after using forged documents to gain entry into South Africa.
He also reportedly told investigators that a South Africa-based individual, identified as Obiora Okoye, hired him to transport the drugs into Nigeria for a payment of 20,000 South African rand.
In another operation at the airport, NDLEA operatives arrested 28-year-old American national Greene Da’monte Khiree over the alleged importation of 33.95kg of Loud, a potent cannabis strain.
Khiree arrived in Lagos aboard an Emirates flight from Thailand through Dubai. According to the agency, he came under suspicion after allegedly abandoning his two checked-in bags and attempting to leave the airport with only his hand luggage.
He was intercepted at the airport car park, while a search of the abandoned luggage reportedly revealed 32 parcels of Loud weighing 33.95kg. A tracking device was also recovered.
The suspect, who hails from Savannah, Georgia, reportedly claimed he had been living in Thailand since October 2025, where he played professional basketball, and travelled to Nigeria to build connections for his sporting career.
However, the agency said forensic examination of his mobile phone uncovered information allegedly linking him to the drug trafficking operation.
The arrests formed part of a series of nationwide operations in which the agency also recorded significant seizures and apprehensions.
At Ebute Metta, Lagos, operatives arrested 33-year-old Taiwo Aderoju on November 10, recovering 119.71kg of cannabis from him during an intelligence-led operation.
In Kaduna State, a suspected illegal firearms manufacturing facility was uncovered at Sabon Garin Kangin, leading to the arrest of 45-year-old Sagiru Musa.
The raid yielded 17 locally manufactured Dane guns, two pistols, 25 Dane gun pipes and other equipment allegedly used in the production of firearms.
Another joint operation in Ajah, Lagos, on November 14, resulted in the recovery of various illicit substances from an abandoned silver Toyota Sienna.
The recovered items included 78.8kg of cannabis, 2.5 litres of skuchies, 6.8 litres of codeine syrup, 23 grammes of Rohypnol, 478 grammes of tramadol, 10.6kg of nitrous oxide and 714 grammes of pregabalin. The suspect reportedly escaped after sighting the operatives.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway intercepted a 31-year-old woman, Tabara Dauda, at Jere on November 13.
She was allegedly found conveying 196 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition and ₦675,000 in cash.
The agency also disclosed that its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign continued during the week, with enlightenment programmes organised in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities.
Commenting on the operations, NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the officers for their vigilance, particularly the interception of methamphetamine hidden inside breakfast cereal packages.
He said the discovery demonstrated the agency’s determination to dismantle drug trafficking networks regardless of the concealment methods employed.