NDLEA Intercepts UK, Australia-Bound Cocaine, Destroys 65,000kg Skunk

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered sophisticated attempts to smuggle cocaine and opioids concealed within carton walls destined for the United Kingdom and Australia, as part of a wider nationwide anti-narcotics operation that also led to the destruction of 65,000 kilograms of skunk and multiple arrests across several states.

The interceptions were made at a courier company in Lagos on Friday, May 15, 2026, where operatives discovered 170 grams of cocaine carefully hidden in the walls of a carton of clothing headed for Australia.

In a separate shipment bound for the United Kingdom, officers recovered 200 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 1,100 capsules of tramadol, and 100 ampoules of promethazine injection concealed in another parcel.

According to a statement signed by the Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, the seizures reflect increasingly sophisticated concealment methods by drug traffickers targeting international markets.

In Delta State, NDLEA operatives intensified their offensive against cannabis cultivation, raiding Ejeonu village in Ukwuani Local Government Area on Sunday, May 10, where they destroyed 27,500 kilograms of skunk across 11 hectares of farmland and recovered 22.9 kilograms of the same substance. A 52-year-old suspect, Ifeanyichukwu Peter, was later arrested in a follow-up operation at Obiaruku.

A similar operation in Orogun village, Ughelli North Local Government Area on Tuesday, May 12, led to the destruction of 37,500 kilograms of skunk on 15 hectares of farmland. Another 55.4 kilograms were recovered, and a 30-year-old suspect, Godwin Vincent Osadera, was arrested.

The two operations brought the total quantity of skunk destroyed in Delta State to 65,000 kilograms, with support from military personnel.

In Kaduna State, operatives recovered 361 kilograms of skunk during a raid in the Dan Magaji area of Zaria on Wednesday, May 13, while a suspect, 42-year-old Husaini Suleiman, was arrested. In a separate operation along the Abuja–Kaduna highway on Tuesday, May 12, officers intercepted 1,989 rounds of RLA 7.62mm military-grade ammunition concealed in sacks of fresh cassava granules popularly known as garri. The suspect, Abdullahi Hassan, 35, was arrested and handed over to another security agency for further investigation.

In the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Monday, May 11, arrested a 29-year-old businessman, Ogadi Peter, who allegedly specialised in producing drug-laced cakes and cookies for parties and social gatherings. Acting on credible intelligence, operatives traced him to his residence in Life Camp, where they recovered 800 grams of skunk and 2.70 kilograms of drug-infused cookies.

Elsewhere, 181 kilograms of skunk were recovered from a suspect, Aliyu Sani, during a raid in the Ogere area of Ogun State on Wednesday, May 13. In Taraba State, 27-year-old Sufiyanu Mohammed Misa was arrested along the Zaki-Biam road in Wukari Local Government Area with 105,850 pills of opioids, including tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5.

In Oyo State, operatives arrested two suspects, Adeleke Olamide Aliyah, 20, and Aloba Abdulazeez, 25, in connection with 99 litres of skuchies seized at Challenge II in Saki on Thursday, May 14. In Edo State, NDLEA officers destroyed 1,388.4175 kilograms of skunk cultivated on two farms in Ago forest, Orhionmwon Local Government Area on Friday, May 15.

In Kano State, a 25-litre jerrycan of palm oil used to conceal 1.2 kilograms of tramaking 225mg pills was recovered at Kofar Ruwa motor park on Monday, May 11, following intelligence reports. The same day, a suspect, Aminu Isa, 35, was arrested in the Sabuwar Sharada area with 30.5 kilograms of skunk.

The agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across schools nationwide, including lectures delivered at The Apostolic Church Model College in Ibadan, School of Health Technology in Niger State, Yewa Junior High School in Agege, Government Secondary School in Katsina, Igogo Commercial High School in Ekiti, and Government Girls Secondary School in Kano, among others.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across Delta, Kaduna, Oyo, Taraba, Kano, FCT, Edo, and other commands for what he described as sustained commitment to both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts across the country.