Framed at the Park: How NDLEA Exposed a Syndicate Planting Drugs in Passengers’ Luggage
Framed at the Park: How NDLEA Exposed a Syndicate Planting Drugs in Passengers’ Luggage
….NDLEA Seizes ₦12.3bn Canadian Cannabis, Arrests China-Bound Woman with Cocaine in Lagos
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disrupted multiple international and domestic drug trafficking rings, seizing billions of naira worth of narcotics and busting a sophisticated syndicate that plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting commercial bus passengers.
The weekend operations, which spanned several states and major transit hubs, resulted in the recovery of over ₦12.3 billion worth of Canadian “Loud” (a potent strain of cannabis), a massive consignment of cocaine bound for China, and hundreds of thousands of synthetic opioid pills hidden inside a modified truck.
Cocaine Intercepted at Lagos Airport
On Sunday, June 21, 2026, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos arrested 38-year-old businesswoman Iwebema Ogechi Peace. Acting on credible intelligence, officers intercepted her in the departure hall of Terminal 2 as she prepared to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing, China.
A thorough search of her check-in bags revealed 7.5 kilograms of cocaine divided into four large parcels. The class-A narcotics were found hidden inside a professionally fabricated false bottom at the base of her luggage. Upon her arrest, Iwebema claimed she regularly travels to China to source commercial retail items for sale back home in Nigeria.
₦12.3 Billion Cannabis Seizure at Apapa Port
In one of the agency’s largest recent maritime busts, a joint security task force recovered 4,959 kilograms of Canadian Loud with an estimated street value of ₦12,397,500,000 from the Apapa Port Complex on Wednesday, June 23.
The seizure concluded a meticulous four-week tracking operation led by two of the NDLEA’s Special Operations Units. The agency had been monitoring a 40-foot shipping container containing a Ford and a Nissan vehicle since April 25, when it first left Toronto, Canada by truck. The container traveled through Montreal by rail, transferred to a vessel at Tanger Med in Morocco, and arrived at the Tincan Port in Lagos on June 4 before being transferred to Apapa on June 22.
The final joint examination involving the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other port stakeholders revealed 195 large sacks of the high-strain cannabis hidden inside the container.
Motor Park Syndicate Unraveled
NDLEA operatives in Abuja and Anambra State have exposed a dangerous tactic used by traffickers to frame innocent travelers. On Saturday, June 20, officers at Abaji in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) intercepted a Sienna commercial bus traveling from Nnewi, Anambra State. Inside, they found a waybill package containing 467.7 grams of methamphetamine wrapped in a black nylon bag and hidden inside a sack of clothes.
A follow-up operation at the Utako motor park in Abuja led to the arrest of the designated receiver, Mrs. Gloria Peter. When she vehemently denied ownership or knowledge of the package, a swift cross-state investigation was launched.
Operatives arrested the bus loaders back in Nnewi. One loader confessed he had slipped the drugs into Mrs. Peter’s bag on instructions from the bus driver, Abdurrazak Isah. Faced with the allegation, the driver confessed and identified a passenger, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, as the actual owner of the methamphetamine. Okoye was subsequently tracked down and arrested at Utako.
Further Interdictions and Arrests
The NDLEA sustained its enforcement pressure across Lagos and major highway routes throughout the week, yielding several more major arrests:
Iddo Motor Park Bust: On Saturday, June 27, a Special Operations Unit arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at a park in Iddo, Lagos. He was caught with 209.50 kilograms of “Scottish Loud” cannabis that was bound for Enugu.
Transnational Tramadol Syndicate:On Sunday, June 21, operatives intercepted a truck on the Mile 2 bridge in Lagos that was hauling illicit drugs from Togo through the Benin Republic. A search uncovered 558,900 pills of high-dose Tramadol (250mg) concealed inside a specially fabricated false belly under the vehicle. Two Beninese nationals, Hossou Tito Julien (30) and Mancellim Dossou (19), were arrested alongside a Nigerian national, Jackson ThankGod.
Read Also: NDLEA intercepts China-bound businesswoman with large consignment…
Highway Interceptions: On Friday, June 26, operatives on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway arrested Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo. The duo was using a truck mixed with legitimate goods to transport 118 kilograms of skunk from Lagos Island to Onitsha, Anambra State.
Amukoko Storage Raid: Also on Friday, June 26, NDLEA officers raided a residence at 15 Olumokun Street, Amukoko, Lagos, arresting Helen Ese Idiji (40) and Rashidat Sa’adullah (53). Investigators found 28.8 kilograms of skunk and revealed that Idiji utilized Sa’adullah’s home as a safe house to stock and distribute drugs to local buyers.
Operational Praise and Advocacy
Alongside the enforcement sweep, the agency continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) grassroots campaign, hosting enlightenment and anti-drug lectures at various institutions, including the Government Girls Science Secondary School in Damaturu, Yobe State, and Adesalu Primary School in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, commended the airport, port, and state commands for their high-yield operations. He praised the strategic balance between aggressive drug supply reduction and community-level WADA advocacy, urging officers nationwide to remain relentless in dismantling trafficking networks.
