Drug Trafficking: How NDLEA intercepts cocaine shipments to Australia, UK –Director

*Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency discloses its operatives recently destroyed 65,000 kilograms of skunk in major anti-narcotics operations across the West African country

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In the agency’s continued offensives against drug tracking and substance abuse in Nigeria, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted consignments of cocaine and opioids concealed in cartons bound for the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia.

The NDLEA anti-narcotics regulatory agency disclosed its operatives destroyed 65,000 kilograms of skunk in major anti-narcotics operations across the West African country.

Inflation: Grocery prices skyrocketing over increasing shipping costs –Report

Mr. Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA, disclosed this development in a statement Sunday, May 17, 2026.

The statement noted the agency intercepted the contraband at a courier company in Lagos during the examination of shipments destined for the UK and Australia.

Babafemi also stated: “A total of 170grams of cocaine sealed in cellophane parcels and buried in the walls of a carton of clothes heading to Australia were recovered.”

The NDLEA also stated that another shipment heading for the United Kingdom (UK) contained “200 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 1,100 capsules of tramadol and 100 ampoules of promethazine injection” concealed inside a carton.

It said in Delta State, the NDLEA operatives raided Ejeonu village, in Ukwuani Local Government Area (LGA), where they destroyed 27,500 kilograms of skunk cultivated on 11 hectares of farmland and recovered an additional 22.9kg of the substance.

The agency said a 52-year-old suspect, Ifeanyichukwu Peter, was arrested during a follow-up operation in Obiaruku.

In a related development, another operation at Orogun village in Ughelli North LGA led to the destruction of another 37,500 kilograms of skunk spread across 15 hectares of farmland.

Officers also recovered 55.4kg of the substance and arrested a suspect identified as Godwin Vincent Osadera, 30.

The Director of Media and Advocacy further noted: “This brings the total weight of skunk destroyed by NDLEA operatives supported by soldiers in the two operations to 65,000 kilograms.”

In Kaduna State, operatives recovered 361kg of skunk during a raid at Dan Magaji area of Zaria, leading to the arrest of 42-year-old Husaini Suleiman.

The agency also intercepted a large cache of military-grade ammunition along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.

Babafemi said “1,989 rounds of RLA 7.62mm ammunition concealed in fresh white cassava granules locally known as garri” were discovered in the possession of 35-year-old Abdullahi Hassan.

He added that the suspect and the recovered ammunition had been transferred to another security agency for further investigation.

Applauding the Officers involved in the successful operations, Babafemi said Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), appreciated the personnel across Commands for balancing enforcement with preventive advocacy.

The statement noted that Marwa “commended the officers and men of DOGI, Delta, Kaduna, Oyo, Taraba, Kano, FCT and Edo Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week,” Babafemi stated.

He also applauded “their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.”

Kindly Share This Story