Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a Milan-bound businessman, Philip Tunde, with 4.80kg of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and the railings of travelling bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The 38-year-old suspect was arrested on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.

A thorough search led to the recovery of 16 parcels of white powder hidden in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, as well as 195 wraps concealed in the railings of four travelling bags.

The substances tested positive for cocaine, with a combined weight of 4.80kg.

During interrogation, Tunde allegedly told NDLEA operatives that he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment in the bags was meant for delivery to his partner in Italy.

He reportedly said he raised the money from compensation paid to him after an injury at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa, Tincan Island and Onne seaports have intercepted consignments of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and codeine-based cough syrup worth more than N5 billion.
The agency said the seizures followed months of intelligence gathering and tracking of the shipments from their ports of origin.
At the Apapa port in Lagos, NDLEA officers, acting on intelligence, subjected two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, to 100 per cent examination alongside Customs officials and other stakeholders.

A search of one of the containers on Saturday, September 3, yielded 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million. The drugs were concealed in two refrigerators and two cartons.

At the Onne Port in Rivers State, two containers placed on NDLEA’s watch list following processed intelligence were subjected to joint examination with Customs and other security agencies.

The exercise led to the discovery of 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg, concealed in a travelling bag and three of five vehicles — a Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra — shipped in one of the containers.

The second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.

According to the NDLEA, the container originated from India and was shipped to Saudi Arabia, where details of its origin were deleted to prevent it from being targeted.

The combined street value of the codeine and Loud consignments was put at N833.2 million.

At the Tincan Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, September 29, conducted a joint examination of a watch-listed container from Montreal, Canada, with Customs and other stakeholders.

They recovered 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg, concealed in a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, alongside 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags in the container.

The consignment had a street value of more than N3.8 billion.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 20,234kg of skunk on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area, on Wednesday, September 30.

In Plateau State, operatives arrested 41-year-old Agbo Dennis on Tuesday, September 29, at the West of Mines area of Jos North, following the seizure of 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Monday, September 28, raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, recovering 209,000 tablets of tramadol.

A follow-up operation at Ladipo Spare Parts Market on Wednesday led to the arrest of 23-year-old Ekundayo Taiwo.
His arrest followed the seizure the previous day of 61g of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24g of methamphetamine hidden in an energy-drink bottle in a waybill package carried by a commercial bus driver along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

In Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja Highway on Wednesday, September 30, intercepted a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus and found two sachets of methamphetamine weighing 1kg concealed in a waybill.

A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, 29-year-old Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, at Utako, Abuja.

In Edo State, NDLEA officers raided the residence of 35-year-old Saturday Omimi at Uyere community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, on Friday, October 2, recovering 32.2kg of cannabis sativa.

The same day, operatives arrested 23-year-old Osazuwa Iyabor Michael at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with 59g of Loud, 12g of Colorado, 19g of tramadol, 16g of methamphetamine, 4g of Swinol and 4g of Molly.

Six years after jumping bail, NDLEA operatives also arrested 47-year-old fugitive Idris Mohammed Kurra on Tuesday, September 29.

Kurra was facing trial at the Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, over alleged possession and dealing in 198kg of skunk.

He had been granted bail in December 2020 but allegedly absconded and evaded arrest for six years.

Meanwhile, NDLEA commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.

The activities included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of St Paul’s Secondary School, Oji, Enugu; Olu-Odo Primary School, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos; Government Junior Secondary School, Tsamiya, Kano; Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti; and Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State, among others.

Commending officers and men of the MMIA, Apapa, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau and Osun commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged them to sustain the agency’s intelligence-driven operations against drug trafficking networks.

He also urged personnel across the country to maintain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.