Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted multiple consignments of illicit drugs cleverly concealed in everyday items, including carton walls, winter jackets, and body cream containers, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
This was disclosed in a statement by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.
Account to the statement, the seizures were part of ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking operations targeting destinations in Europe, particularly Italy.
One of the suspects, Friday Ehianuka, 37, was apprehended on Friday, March 20, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome.
NDLEA operatives discovered 2,698 pills of tramadol (225mg) hidden inside containers of skin-lightening body cream packed in his luggage. Ehianuka, a resident of Milan, reportedly admitted he was promised payment in euros upon successful delivery of the drugs.
In a similar operation, Christian Agbonhese, 38, was intercepted at the airport’s departure hall on March 18 while preparing to board a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Milan.
A search of his luggage revealed 28,470 pills of opioids including tramadol and tapentadol concealed within two large winter jackets.
Beyond the airport, NDLEA officers also uncovered illicit shipments at a Lagos-based courier firm.
Two parcels containing one kilogram of a potent cannabis strain known as “Loud” were intercepted after arriving from the United States.
In another case, 158 grams of methamphetamine hidden within carton walls were seized en route to New Zealand.
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The agency’s operations extended across several states. In Kano, two suspects were arrested with a combined 198 kilograms of skunk.
In Lagos, authorities recovered over 21,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup during a raid in the Ijora area, while additional suspects were apprehended transporting thousands more bottles on the Third Mainland Bridge.
Further seizures were recorded nationwide: nearly 92,000 tramadol pills hidden in a commercial bus in Abuja; 97.5kg of skunk recovered in Edo State; and 71.2kg of the same substance intercepted in Oyo State.
In Kaduna and Taraba states, hundreds of thousands of tramadol pills and capsules were seized in separate intelligence-led operations, while six suspects were arrested in Adamawa in connection with an 82.8kg tramadol haul.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA said it continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitization programmes in schools and communities across states including Lagos, Ebonyi, Enugu, Cross River, and Ogun.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged continued vigilance, emphasizing a balanced approach combining enforcement with public education in tackling drug abuse and trafficking nationwide.
