The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has busted two major drug cartels behind six separate attempts to export cocaine concealed in stainless cups, body cream and hair gel containers, leading to the arrest of five suspects, including the kingpin, Hammed Taofeek Ode.

The breakthrough followed a September 16, 2025, operation at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, where NDLEA operatives intercepted 174 parcels of cocaine weighing 13.40 kilogrammes hidden in cocoa butter body cream containers. A cargo agent was arrested at the scene, and further investigation linked the shipment to Ode, who posed as a businessman and real estate developer.

The suspect, who returned from the United Kingdom in 2024 after spending over 27 years across Europe, confessed during interrogation to owning the consignment, which he said he purchased for over N150 million.

A separate NDLEA operation on September 26 uncovered another attempt by a different syndicate to export 2.10 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden in hair cream containers. The arrest of a cargo agent led investigators to the consignor, identified as Smith David Korede, a furniture maker, who was also found with an additional 1.40 kilogrammes of cocaine destined for the UK.

Further interceptions on October 2 revealed two more cocaine-laden consignments bound for the UK. In another bust, NDLEA operatives foiled an attempt to smuggle 6.3 kilogrammes of “Loud”, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in bedsheets and hibiscus flowers from Thailand to Lagos.

The agency also recorded breakthroughs in other parts of the country. In Kano, a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service led to the arrest of 38-year-old Sa’adu Ali and the seizure of 290,450 tramadol tablets (250mg) and pregabalin capsules.

In Lagos, a notorious drug distributor known as John Igbe, alias SammyBless, was arrested for supplying illicit substances across Lekki and Ajah. Three other suspects: Idris Lukman, Fuad Abdulsalam and Mobolaji James were also apprehended in Mushin, where officers seized 109 kilogrammes of skunk, 20 bottles of codeine syrup and 2 kilogrammes of nitrous oxide.

At the Trade Fair Complex in Alaba, operatives recovered 3,700 bottles of codeine syrup and 550,000 expired 225mg diclofenac tablets.

The NDLEA said similar operations were ongoing across the country, resulting in multiple arrests and the seizure of significant quantities of narcotics and psychotropic substances.