Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled multiple attempts by drug trafficking organisations to smuggle illicit substances to Europe, intercepting opioids and methamphetamine concealed in unusual items at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a courier firm in Lagos.
The agency said two major consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of two suspects. One of them, Friday Ehianuka, 37, was apprehended on Friday, March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome. He was found with 2,698 pills of tramadol (225mg) concealed in containers of skin-lightening body cream packed in his luggage. The suspect, a Milan resident, reportedly confessed he was to be paid in euros upon successful delivery.
In a similar operation, NDLEA officers arrested Christian Agbonhese, 38, at the airport’s departure hall on March 18, while he attempted to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan. A search of his luggage uncovered 28,470 pills of opioids, including tramadol and tapentadol, hidden inside two large winter jackets.
At a Lagos courier facility, operatives intercepted parcels containing “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, shipped from the United States. Another consignment of 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed within carton walls and destined for New Zealand was also seized.
Beyond Lagos, NDLEA operations across several states led to significant seizures and arrests. In Kano, suspects were caught with over 198kg of skunk, while in Lagos, authorities recovered 21,737 bottles of codeine syrup from a store in Ijora and seized an additional 8,380 bottles from traffickers on the Third Mainland Bridge.
In Edo State, 97.5kg of skunk was recovered from a suspect’s residence, while in the Federal Capital Territory, operatives intercepted a commercial bus along the Gwagwalada expressway, uncovering 91,840 tramadol pills hidden in body compartments. The driver was arrested.
Further operations in Oyo, Kaduna, Taraba, and Adamawa states led to the recovery of hundreds of thousands of tramadol pills and additional cannabis consignments, with multiple suspects taken into custody.
Meanwhile, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns nationwide, targeting schools, communities, and workplaces to curb drug abuse.
Commending the efforts of officers across the country, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, urged sustained vigilance and a balanced approach combining enforcement and prevention in tackling drug trafficking and abuse.
