The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested an Indian businessman, Gupta Ravi Kumar, and three Nigerian accomplices over the interception of 2,248,000 tramadol pills valued at ₦3.99 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
₦3.99bn Tramadol Seizure at Lagos Airport
The consignment, imported from Delhi, India, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, was disguised as multivitamins in 114 cartons and arrived on September 8, 2025.
NDLEA operatives placed the cargo under surveillance before swooping on a clearing agent and two drivers attempting to move the drugs in two trucks on September 11. A follow-up operation on September 12 led to the arrest of Kumar when he tried to take delivery of the shipment.
Passenger Arrested with Skunk Hidden in Crayfish
At MMIA’s Terminal 2 departure gate, operatives also intercepted a passenger, Onyeganochi Stanley Ifeanyi, traveling to Doha on a Qatar Airways flight. A search of his luggage revealed 900 grams of skunk concealed in crayfish.
He confessed that the bag was given to him by Ohadiegwu Anthony Uchenna, a Qatar-based Nigerian who was later arrested nearby. A subsequent search of Uchenna’s hotel room in Ajao Estate uncovered an additional 200 grams of skunk.
Cannabis and Hashish Seized at Tincan Port
In Lagos, NDLEA officers conducting a joint examination at Tincan Port discovered 161 parcels of Canadian Loud (81.7kg) and 1.2kg of hashish oil hidden in a container of used vehicles and spare parts imported from Montreal, Canada.
Two suspects, John Ochigbo (53) and Okeke Kingsley (26), were arrested. Another shipment of 65kg Canadian Loud was intercepted on the Third Mainland Bridge, with the driver, Abubakar Ibrahim (42), taken into custody.
Meth and Loud Hidden in Picture Frames, Decoders
Two separate courier interceptions in Lagos uncovered illicit shipments:
6 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a picture frame destined for Gabon.
1.1kg of Loud concealed in video decoders headed for the UAE.
Skuchies Factory Busted in Ikorodu
Acting on intelligence, NDLEA stormed a skuchies (cannabis-laced drink) factory in Caritas, Ibeshe, Ikorodu, recovering 6,029 bottles of skuchies and 4,232kg of cannabis.
The factory manager, Joy Awosika, was arrested, while another suspect, Akeem Oriola, was picked up in Mushin with 26kg of skunk.
Raids Across Nigeria
The NDLEA carried out multiple other raids across the country:
Abuja (FCT): Dispatch rider Godsplan Vincent (29) arrested with 50.7g cocaine and 66g Loud.
Oyo State: Three women — Faidat Azeez (25), Alanu Fatimoh (40), and Mojeed Taiwo (25) — arrested with 17kg of skunk.
Kano State: Seizure of 100,000 tramadol pills, 196 litres of Akuskura, 34.1kg skunk, and other psychoactive substances from multiple suspects.
Anambra State: Couple Nzube and Ebele Onyedika arrested with 13.9kg methamphetamine and 5.3kg skunk; additional drugs recovered from another suspect, Nnamchi Tochukwu (36).
Yobe State: 22.1kg cannabis recovered from a residence in Potiskum.
Ogun State (Imeko): Joint NDLEA-police operation intercepted 394kg skunk from three traffickers using motorcycles.
Edo State: NDLEA destroyed a 6.7-hectare cannabis plantation, weighing nearly 17 tonnes, and arrested four suspects at Ugbogyi forest, Ovia South West LGA.
NDLEA Commends Officers, Expands WADA Campaign
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended the officers of MMIA, Tincan, Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Oyo, Edo, Anambra, Yobe, and Ogun commands for their commitment.
He urged them to sustain the momentum in the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), which also saw sensitization programs held in schools, mosques, motor parks, workplaces, and communities across the country.