A major NDLEA crackdown has exposed a drug network disguising cannabis as Christmas cookies, leading to arrests in Lagos and nationwide seizures
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has said it has dismantled a social media drug distribution network that packaged illicit substances as imported Christmas cookies during what the agency described as a sweeping NDLEA crackdown across several states.
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The agency revealed in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, that operatives arrested two alleged masterminds in the Ikate area of Lekki after uncovering a sophisticated operation that used WhatsApp to sell cannabis disguised in colourful designer sachets imitating cookie and snack brands.
According to the statement, the syndicate is suspected of importing consignments of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and using festive packaging to conceal retail quantities.
Investigators believe the presentation was designed to mislead buyers and evade detection, a tactic the agency described as brazen and troubling.
The NDLEA crackdown extended beyond Lekki. In Mushin, operatives arrested a 38-year-old man taking delivery of more than fifty kilograms of Canadian Loud, with three delivery vehicles seized during the operation.
Officers also intercepted cannabis hidden in a teddy bear imported from Thailand and recovered hundreds of tramadol capsules disguised inside Vitamin C and Magnesium bottles bound for the United Kingdom.
In Oyo State, the agency detained a 55-year-old suspect with thousands of ampoules of pentazocine, hundreds of bottles of codeine syrup and nearly ten thousand tramadol capsules.
The findings were described as alarming given the ongoing battle against pharmaceutical misuse.
The operation continued in Ondo State where seven suspects were arrested in the Ipe forest. More than three tonnes of skunk were recovered during the raid, reinforcing the scope and intensity of the NDLEA crackdown.
Further arrests were made in Kogi, Lagos, Kano, Bauchi and the Abuja axis. In several cases, officers recovered significant quantities of skunk and intercepted rounds of live ammunition concealed in sacks and vehicles.
The agency said these discoveries highlight the dangerous overlap between narcotics trafficking and arms movement.
Across all regions, the agency credited the success of the NDLEA crackdown to credible intelligence, patient surveillance and coordinated field operations.
Officials stressed that the latest sweep demonstrates a renewed commitment to disrupting criminal networks that continually evolve their methods.
The agency urged the public to remain vigilant as traffickers increasingly exploit digital platforms and festive packaging to disguise illicit substances.
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It maintained that sustained enforcement remains essential to curbing the country’s drug crisis and protecting young people from deceptive schemes.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
