The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted consignments of cocaine ingeniously concealed in a local mortar and the false bottom of a backpack destined for China and Italy, while also arresting a notorious drug dealer in Rivers State and a suspected drug supplier to bandits in Zamfara.
The agency said the seizures were made by operatives of its Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI) during intelligence-led operations at a logistics company in Lagos on Thursday, July 30, 2026.
According to the NDLEA, officers recovered 250 grams of cocaine factory-fitted into the base of a locally made mortar packaged in a carton for export to China. In a separate interception, 500 grams of cocaine concealed in the false bottom of a backpack bound for Italy were also recovered.
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives arrested Ugo Gift Okonkwo, 38, described as a notorious drug dealer, during a raid at Eagle Island, Port Harcourt, following credible intelligence. He was apprehended on Sunday, July 26, with quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, swinol, tramadol and codeine syrup.
In Anambra State, NDLEA officers conducting a stop-and-search operation at the DMGS Roundabout in Onitsha intercepted a truck with registration number XK 131 BDG loaded with 26,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 3,960 kilograms. The truck driver, Chinedu Nwanze, 40, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
Similarly, operatives in Delta State recovered 331.84 kilograms of skunk from a Toyota Sienna bus with registration number KUJ 26 DV along the Kwale-Ughelli Expressway on Sunday, July 26.
In Nasarawa State, NDLEA officers arrested Joseph Nwaeke, 64, at Asso Angwan Muazu in Karu Local Government Area on Tuesday, July 28. The suspect was found in possession of 68 kilograms of skunk and 29 grams of methamphetamine.
In another operation in Zamfara State, NDLEA operatives patrolling the Zaria-Gusau Highway intercepted Sani Umar, 27, on Monday, July 27, with 7,400 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, believed to be supplies intended for criminal elements operating in the area.
Beyond enforcement, the agency sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes across the country. Awareness lectures were delivered to students and staff of Hausawa Special Primary School in Kano, Royal Crown School in Oluyole, Ibadan, Government Secondary School in Ibi, Taraba State, and commercial drivers at Challenge Bus Terminal Park in Ibadan, among other locations.
Commending the officers involved in the successful operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised personnel of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations as well as the Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa and Zamfara Commands for their commitment.
He urged officers and men of the agency nationwide to remain steadfast in implementing the NDLEA’s balanced strategy of combining robust drug enforcement operations with sustained preventive education and public sensitisation to curb drug abuse and trafficking across the country.
