NDLEA operatives at Lagos airport intercept food flask cocaine smuggling attempts and US-origin cannabis, leading to multiple arrests in a nationwide crackdown

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted sophisticated consignments of illicit substances concealed within everyday kitchenware and snack packaging at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.

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NDLEA Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, confirmed, that operatives uncovered twelve large parcels of cocaine hidden within the false bottoms of food flasks intended for export to the United Kingdom.

The food flask cocaine smuggling attempt was thwarted at the airport’s export shed during a routine cargo examination.

The detection led to the immediate arrest of two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim and Ogabi Monday Akorede, while subsequent investigations identified a fifty-two year old freight forwarder, Agoro Moninuola, as the alleged sender of the 2.80-kilogramme shipment.

In a simultaneous operation at the airport’s import shed, the agency seized 2.90 kilogrammes of a potent cannabis strain known as Loud, which had arrived from the United States.

The narcotics were found professionally sealed inside snack food packs, highlighting the increasingly creative methods employed by international trafficking syndicates to bypass border security.

The crackdown extended beyond the aviation sector as officers on patrol along the Kaduna to Zaria highway intercepted a trailer transporting 847 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed beneath a heavy load of cement.

The driver, Umar Haruna, was taken into custody following the discovery, which demonstrated the scale of the domestic logistics network currently under the agency’s scrutiny.

The formidable reach of the NDLEA was further displayed in Cross River State, where officers supported by military personnel raided a forest in the Uwet community.

During this tactical operation on 16 April 2026, the team destroyed 15,000 kilogrammes of cultivated cannabis across six hectares of farmland and apprehended Alice Udoh, who was found on the premises.

NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the tactical precision of the operatives and reiterated the importance of the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.

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Mohamed Buba Marwa urged officers to maintain their vigilance, noting that the agency’s dual focus on supply reduction and public sensitisation remains the most effective deterrent against the narcotics trade.