The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British caregiver, Mrs. Mary Yetunde Barek, with 13 kilograms of cocaine cleverly concealed in plantain peels at Lagos airport. She was picked up on Sunday, June 28, 2026 at the departure hall of Terminal 2, Murtala Muhammed International Airport while trying to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London. Officers found 31 large wraps of cocaine packaged to resemble plantain hands and hidden among food items in her luggage. The suspect admitted ownership during questioning.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives in Ekwusigo, Anambra State, arrested a 45-year-old PhD student of University of Putra, Malaysia, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, alleged to be the leader of a cartel exporting cocaine to Malaysia. The bust followed the interception of 36 parcels weighing 5.8kg hidden inside the walls of nine cartons of Orijin bitters. Four other suspects were earlier arrested in Lagos, including a cargo agent, driver, trader, and a supplier. Nwabueze was eventually tracked to Aziora, Ozubulu. Other seizures within the week include 43,980 Tramadol capsules hidden in fuel tanks in Taraba; 1.7kg of methamphetamine in Kaduna; 231.7kg of skunk in Ebonyi; 15kg of skunk with a 75-year-old suspect in Plateau; and 556kg of cannabis in Gombe.
NDLEA said Commands nationwide also pushed forward with War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy in schools and communities such as Girls Secondary School Abagana, Government Technical College Obe, Adeola Odutola College Ijebu-Ode, and FCE Demonstration School Kabuga. NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers of MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau, and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures. He urged all formations to sustain the balance between drug supply reduction and prevention education to curb trafficking across the country.
