Abuja, June 28, 2026, The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 7.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to China through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The agency also intercepted 4,959 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, valued at about N12.4 billion, at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said the 38-year-old suspect was arrested on June 21 at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing, China.
He said intelligence-led surveillance led to a search of her luggage, during which four parcels of cocaine weighing 7.5 kilogrammes were discovered concealed in a professionally constructed false bottom of the suitcase.
According to him, the suspect claimed she travelled regularly to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria.
Babafemi also said operatives of the agency’s Special Operations Units recovered the 4,959kg cannabis shipment during a joint examination involving the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at the Apapa Port Complex on June 23.
He said the container, which also carried two vehicles, had been under NDLEA surveillance for more than four weeks after arriving from Toronto, Canada, through Montreal and Tangier, Morocco, before its eventual interception in Lagos.
In another operation, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in collaboration with their counterparts in Anambra, dismantled a syndicate allegedly involved in planting illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting interstate passengers.
He said investigations began after operatives intercepted 467.7 grammes of methamphetamine concealed in a passenger’s luggage aboard a commercial bus travelling from Nnewi, Anambra State, to Abuja.
He said the operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the drug, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, the bus driver, Abdurrazak Isah, and a bus loader, after the intended recipient denied ownership of the package.
Babafemi further disclosed that NDLEA operatives arrested Ikechukwu Uwakwe, 57, at Iddo Motor Park in Lagos with 209.5 kilogrammes of Scottish Loud allegedly being transported to Enugu State.
He added that two Beninese nationals, Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19, alongside a Nigerian, Jackson ThankGod, were arrested on Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos with 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment of a truck conveying the illicit consignment from Togo through the Benin Republic.
The spokesman said two other suspects, Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo, were arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while transporting 118 kilogrammes of skunk concealed among legitimate goods.
He added that Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, were also arrested in Amukoko, Lagos, with 28.8 kilogrammes of skunk.
Babafemi said investigations revealed that the principal suspect stored the illicit drugs at her accomplice’s residence before distributing them to customers.
He said the agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools and communities across Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi and Enugu states.
According to him, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the momentum in drug supply reduction and public enlightenment.
