NDLEA Uncovers Airport Drug Rings, Foils Prison-Backed Smuggling Plot, Raids Lekki ‘Colos’ Lab
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a string of high-risk drug trafficking operations spanning Nigeria’s major airports, urban centres and even a correctional facility, arresting multiple suspects and intercepting significant quantities of cocaine, cannabis and opioids in coordinated actions across the country.
At the heart of the latest busts were three foreign-bound passengers who ingested cocaine pellets in a desperate attempt to beat airport security.
A China-based Nigerian businessman, Ibeanu Chukwudulue, 34, was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport while boarding a Qatar Airways flight en route to China via Doha.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said acting on intelligence, the anti-narcotics agency officers subjected him to a body scan which confirmed he had swallowed illicit drugs.
After being placed under observation, he excreted 52 wraps of cocaine weighing 735.95 grammes.
He noted that on the same day, two Angolan nationals—Mbandu Makiadi, 50, and Ngoma Fernando, 52—were arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during clearance for a flight to Istanbul.
Body scans revealed they had also ingested narcotics. Over multiple excretions, Makiadi expelled 76 pellets weighing 920 grammes, while Fernando passed 108 wraps weighing 1.33 kilogrammes
Babafemi said the suspects told investigators they were promised $3,000 each for delivering the consignments in Turkey, underscoring the continued exploitation of vulnerable couriers by international drug networks.
In a dramatic twist, NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport foiled an attempt to smuggle 1.1 kilogrammes of cocaine to London concealed inside garri (processed cassava granules).
Investigations revealed the shipment was orchestrated from behind bars by a convicted drug trafficker serving a five-year sentence at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.
The inmate, previously convicted in 2025 for conspiracy to export nearly 18 kilogrammes of cocaine, allegedly directed associates outside prison to package and move the consignment using his logistics company as a front.
An employee who presented the cargo for export was arrested on the spot, while further investigations exposed how the operation was coordinated remotely from the correctional facility—raising fresh concerns about criminal networks operating from custody.
In a separate case at the Lagos airport, NDLEA officers also thwarted an attempt to export 1.7 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in jerry cans to the United Kingdom. A cargo agent and the alleged mastermind were subsequently apprehended.
In Abuja, NDLEA officers intercepted a parcel from Enugu that contained a children’s toy guitar modified to hide 59.2 grams of “Canadian Loud,” a potent cannabis strain. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the intended recipient in Life Camp.
Meanwhile, in Lagos’ upscale Lekki area, NDLEA raided a four-bedroom duplex converted into a production site for Colorado, a synthetic cannabis variant popularly known as “Colos.”
The operation followed the earlier seizure of 73 cartons of nitrous oxide believed to be linked to the distribution chain.
During the raid, officers recovered 13.2 kilograms of freshly produced synthetic cannabis along with precursor chemicals, dismantling what authorities described as a significant urban drug manufacturing hub.
In Ibadan, a 45-year-old woman suspected to be a major distributor was arrested with over a kilogramme of synthetic cannabis and skunk, 320 grammes of methamphetamine, nearly ₦3 million in cash and two vehicles.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a vehicle loaded with 105,400 tramadol pills along the Bode Saadu corridor, arresting the driver.
In Edo State, a forest raid in Ovia North East Local Government Area led to the arrest of five suspects and the recovery of 563.5 kilogrammes of skunk, dealing a blow to cultivation and distribution networks operating from remote camps.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.) commended officers across various commands for what he described as intelligence-driven operations and professional conduct.
He urged sustained pressure on both supply chains and demand drivers through enforcement and the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools and communities nationwide.
