Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled multiple attempts by drug trafficking networks to smuggle illicit substances, including methamphetamine and opioids, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, and a courier firm in Lagos.

Two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of two suspects. One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was apprehended on March 20 while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome with 2,698 tramadol pills concealed in containers of skin-lightening cream packed in his luggage. He reportedly confessed he was to be paid in euros upon successful delivery.

Similarly, on March 18, NDLEA operatives arrested 38-year-old Christian Agbonhese at the airport while he was preparing to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan. A search of his luggage uncovered 28,470 opioid pills, including tramadol and tapentadol, hidden inside winter jackets.

At a Lagos courier facility, officers intercepted parcels containing 1kg of a strong strain of cannabis, known as “Loud,” shipped from the United States. Another consignment of 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in carton walls and bound for New Zealand was also seized.

Across the country, coordinated operations led to significant seizures and arrests. In Kano, two suspects were caught with over 198kg of skunk, while in Lagos, operatives recovered 21,737 bottles of codeine syrup from a store in Ijora and arrested two suspects transporting an additional 8,380 bottles on the Third Mainland Bridge.

Further recoveries included 97.5kg of skunk in Edo State, 91,840 tramadol pills hidden in a commercial bus in the FCT, and 71.2kg of skunk smuggled into Oyo State from the Benin Republic.

In Kaduna, authorities seized over 586,000 tramadol and exol-5 pills from a suspect along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, while additional arrests and seizures were recorded in Taraba and Adamawa states, where multiple suspects were linked to large consignments of tramadol.

The NDLEA also intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns in schools and communities nationwide.

Commending the officers involved, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged continued commitment to the agency’s balanced approach to drug control efforts.