NDLEA Sahara drug trafficking method exposed as traffickers ingest drugs for road trips through the desert to Europe

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has raised alarm over a dangerous new trafficking tactic in which suspects ingest illicit drugs to travel by road through the Sahara Desert to North Africa and onward to Europe.

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NDLEA identifies new Sahara drug trafficking route was disclosed by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, who said traffickers are increasingly abandoning air routes due to heightened airport surveillance.

Babafemi explained that operatives have intensified monitoring at airports, making it difficult for traffickers to move drugs undetected, thereby pushing them towards overland routes despite the extreme risks involved.

He described the emerging method as alarming, noting that suspects now ingest drugs and embark on long journeys from southern Nigeria through the north and across the desert, with multiple stops to excrete and re-ingest the substances.

According to him, the development could trigger a rise in roadside excretion incidents as enforcement efforts expand across highways nationwide.

Babafemi questioned the extent traffickers are willing to go to evade arrest, warning that the method poses severe health dangers and reflects a troubling escalation in criminal ingenuity.

A video released by the agency showed operatives conducting a roadside operation, recovering several condom-wrapped pellets believed to have been excreted by a suspect.

The substances were later subjected to field testing, confirming the presence of illicit drugs.

The agency said the trend highlights a shifting pattern in drug trafficking networks, driven by sustained crackdowns on both air and land routes.

Officials added that recent enforcement actions have involved a range of suspects, including businessmen and pilgrims attempting to smuggle drugs through commercial flights, underscoring the evolving tactics used by traffickers.

Also read: NDLEA detects 2.8kg of cocaine, hidden in food flasks at Lagos airport

NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to a relentless crackdown on drug trafficking, warning that increased vigilance across transport corridors will continue to expose and disrupt such operations.