What seemed like ordinary vehicle parts turned out to be the cover for an elaborate drug smuggling operation.
At Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport, NDLEA officers uncovered cocaine and tramadol concealed in side mirrors, halting the cargo just before it boarded a flight to Gabon.
The traffickers had planned to ship the consignment—containing 57,420 tramadol pills and 57 cocaine pellets weighing 1.6kg—to Libreville, Gabon via Air Côte d’Ivoire on July 19.
Acting swiftly, the operatives arrested cargo agent Ihekweme Osinachi Benedict at the airport.
Next, they launched a follow-up operation and arrested Uzochukwu Godspower Chukwurah.
When they searched his residence, they found 11 additional cocaine parcels weighing 1kg, increasing the total cocaine seized to 2.6kg.
Lipstick Concealment Foiled
Meanwhile, in a separate operation, NDLEA officers tracked down and arrested Roseann Nneka Nwafor at her shop in the Trade Fair Complex, Lagos.
Earlier, they had intercepted 100g of cocaine and 300g of phenacetine disguised inside lipsticks bound for Equatorial Guinea.
Read Also: NAFDAC Seizes ₦20.5bn Fake Drugs, Toxic Goods
During questioning, she admitted buying the lipsticks, while her husband, Remigus Nwafor—who fled—handled the concealment.
Nationwide Crackdown And Outreach
Across the country, NDLEA teams intensified their crackdown.
In Abuja, they stopped and arrested three dispatch riders transporting 149.8g of Canadian Loud.
Similarly, officers in Benue apprehended two men with 91.1kg of skunk.
At the same time, other operatives captured traffickers in Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Delta, Oyo, Kano, Bayelsa, Osun, and Borno with large hauls of tramadol, codeine, skunk, methamphetamine, and “skuchies”.
Specifically, they seized 100,000 tramadol pills in Benue, uncovered 233.5kg of skunk in Edo, and recovered 41,705 tramadol capsules in Bayelsa.
In Borno, they arrested a suspect smuggling tramadol in footwear at Maiduguri airport.
Finally, NDLEA officers expanded their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) outreach by visiting schools, churches, transport hubs, and traditional leaders across Yobe, Sokoto, Borno, Enugu, and Osun to deliver anti-drug education.
NDLEA continues to lead the fight against drug trafficking with aggressive enforcement and grassroots awareness.
