By Sabiu Abdullahi
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 38-year-old businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, after allegedly finding cocaine hidden in her luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The suspect was apprehended on June 21, 2026, at the airport’s departure hall while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing, China.
According to the agency, intelligence reports led to her arrest. The suspect reportedly told investigators that she regularly travels to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria.
NDLEA operatives said a search of her luggage uncovered four parcels of cocaine weighing 7.5 kilogrammes. The illicit substance was allegedly concealed in a specially designed compartment inside the bag.
In a separate operation, a joint team made up of NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies intercepted a 40-foot container at the Apapa Port Complex in Lagos.
The agency said the container carried 195 sacks of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, weighing 4,959 kilogrammes with an estimated street value of N12.397 billion.
NDLEA disclosed that the container, which also contained Ford and Nissan vehicles, had been monitored since April 25 after departing Toronto, Canada.
The anti-narcotics agency also uncovered a syndicate accused of hiding illegal drugs inside passengers’ luggage at motor parks.
The operation followed the interception of a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi, Anambra State, to Abuja on June 20.
According to NDLEA, officers recovered a package suspected to contain methamphetamine weighing 467.7 grams. The substance was reportedly concealed inside a black nylon bag hidden among clothes bearing the receiver’s phone number.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the intended recipient, Gloria Peter, at Utako Motor Park in Abuja. However, she denied knowledge of the package.
Investigators later arrested some bus loaders in Nnewi. One of them allegedly confessed that the package was placed inside the woman’s luggage on the instruction of the driver, identified as Abdurrazak Isah.
The driver reportedly linked one of his passengers, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, to the drugs. NDLEA later arrested the suspect in Utako.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos, with 209.5 kilogrammes of Scottish Loud allegedly meant for transportation to Enugu State.
The agency also arrested two Beninese nationals, Hossou Tito Julien and Mancellim Dossou, alongside a Nigerian identified as Jackson ThankGod, after intercepting a truck at Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos.
According to NDLEA, the truck was transporting 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment. The consignment reportedly originated from Togo through the Republic of Benin.
Similarly, officers arrested Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on June 26 with 118 kilogrammes of skunk concealed among goods inside a truck travelling to Onitsha, Anambra State.
The agency also disclosed that Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, were arrested at Olumokun Street, Amukoko, Lagos, where officers recovered 28.8 kilogrammes of skunk.
NDLEA said investigations showed that Idiji allegedly stored drug consignments with Sa’adullah before distributing them to buyers.
Meanwhile, the agency said its commands across the country intensified sensitisation campaigns under the War Against Drug Abuse initiative in schools, communities, workplaces and religious centres.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the various operations. He urged them to sustain efforts aimed at combating drug trafficking across the country.
