Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 55-year-old Lagos businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, over an alleged attempt to export 3.30kg of cocaine concealed within the cardboard walls of foodstuff packaging destined for the United Kingdom. According to a statement issued by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Chinedu—a clothing trader at Balogun Market on Lagos Island—was apprehended on Thursday, July 23, 2026. His arrest followed the interception of the drug consignment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos a day prior.
Initial investigations led to the arrest of three cargo handling agents: Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed, and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim. Their interrogation exposed Kenneth Okakpu, who had delivered the package for shipment to the UK. Okakpu’s confession ultimately identified Chinedu as the ringleader of the syndicate, leading to his arrest while he was attempting to coordinate another drug dispatch.
In a separate airport operation, NDLEA agents arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo at her Surulere, Lagos home on Tuesday, July 21. Her arrest followed the seizure of a 2.80kg package of “Loud”—a high-potency synthetic strain of cannabis—which arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight on July 20.
Additionally, a joint cargo examination at the Lagos airport on Friday, July 24, yielded 2.24 million pills of 250mg Tapentadol, valued at over ₦2.2 billion on the street. The illicit pharmaceutical shipment had arrived from India via an Air Maroc flight. This seizure followed an earlier interception on July 22 at a Lagos courier company, where operatives discovered a quantity of tramadol hidden inside containers of black soap intended for the UK.
Maritime operations at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos also uncovered 4,777 packages of “Canadian Loud” weighing a total of 2,388.5kg, with an estimated street value exceeding ₦7.1 billion. The drugs were discovered on Monday, July 20, hidden inside three vehicles packed within a shipping container. In Katsina State, NDLEA officers on patrol in the Baure, Safana Local Government Area arrested 30-year-old Mustapha Sani on Wednesday, July 22, after finding 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition concealed on his person. In a separate stop-and-search operation along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway at Jere, officers arrested 30-year-old Abubakar Amadu with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition hidden inside containers of palm oil. Both suspects have been transferred to appropriate military and security authorities for further investigation.
Meanwhile, raid operations in Edo State’s Ilushi community, Esan South-East LGA, on Sunday, July 19, resulted in the recovery of 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds from a local warehouse. During the sweep, officers also arrested 45-year-old Ojore Onweze with 60kg of skunk and 30-year-old George Agwumede in possession of 13kg of the same illicit substance.
Source: https://punchng.com/
