The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cocaine concealed in phone chargers and backpacks bound for Saudi Arabia and Europe, and seized more than 3 tons of illicit drugs in coordinated operations across Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Abia, Seme and Tincan.
At Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, an Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, 30, was arrested on Sunday, August 2, 2026, for ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510kg before boarding an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy via Addis Ababa and France. He excreted the wraps under observation. Cyril said he picked up the consignment in Awka after arriving Nigeria on July 13, and agreed to traffic it for €3,500 to raise funds to relocate to Germany.
In Lagos, operatives stopped 1.2kg of cocaine hidden in 25 phone chargers heading to Saudi Arabia and 500g concealed in a backpack’s false bottom en route to Italy. They also intercepted 2.3kg of “Loud,” a synthetic cannabis strain from the U.S. At Tincan Port on August 4, a joint examination with Customs uncovered 73 cartons of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies weighing 309.4kg. A suspect, Larry Nnaji, was arrested.
Other major seizures included 1,633kg of skunk hidden in rice shafts on the Akure-Ilesha expressway in Ondo, with two suspects arrested, plus 147kg recovered from Ita Ogbolu forest. In Oyo, 731.03kg was recovered from a warehouse in Elebure, Orire LGA. In Edo, 604.5kg in 65 jumbo bags was seized in Owan West LGA with military support. In Abia, 7kg was recovered and a drug joint operator arrested, while in Lagos, wanted dealer Adome Claude Sikuru was nabbed at Badagry with 88.5kg after a 3-month manhunt.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended officers across DOGI, AIIA, Ondo, Oyo, Edo, Abia, Seme and Tincan Commands and urged continued balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction. The Agency also stepped up WADA sensitization in schools and communities in Oyo, Anambra, Kano and Rivers states.
