NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine Concealed in Mortar, Backpack Bound for China, Italy
Agency arrests suspected drug kingpin in Rivers, intercepts 26,000 bottles of codeine and seizes 331.84kg of cannabis in nationwide operations
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted two consignments of cocaine concealed in unusual compartments and packaged for shipment to China and Italy through a logistics company in Lagos.
The seizures, made on Thursday, July 30, 2026, by officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI), comprised 250 grammes of cocaine factory-fitted into the base of a local mortar and packed in a carton for export to China, as well as another 500 grammes of cocaine concealed in the false bottom of a backpack destined for Italy.
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 38-year-old suspected drug dealer, Ugo Gift Okonkwo, at Eagle Island, Port Harcourt, following credible intelligence.
Okonkwo was arrested on Sunday, July 26, with various quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, Swinol, tramadol and codeine-based syrup.
In Anambra State, NDLEA officers conducting a stop-and-search operation at DMGS Roundabout, Onitsha, on Monday, July 27, intercepted a truck marked XK 131 BDG loaded with 26,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 3,960 kilogrammes.
The driver of the truck, identified as 40-year-old Chinedu Nwanze, was arrested in connection with the consignment.
Also on Sunday, July 26, NDLEA operatives in Delta State recovered 331.84 kilogrammes of skunk from a Toyota Sienna bus with registration number KUJ 26 DV along the Kwale-Ughelli Expressway.
In Nasarawa State, officers arrested a 64-year-old suspect, Joseph Nwaeke, on Tuesday, July 28, at Asso Angwan Muazu in the Karu area of the state. He was found in possession of 68 kilogrammes of skunk and 29 grammes of methamphetamine.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Zamfara State intercepted 27-year-old Sani Umar along the Zaria-Gusau Highway on Monday, July 27. Umar was allegedly conveying 7,400 tablets of tramadol, each weighing 225mg, suspected to be intended as supplies for criminal elements operating in the area.
Beyond enforcement operations, NDLEA commands and formations across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns during the week, targeting schools, places of worship, workplaces, motor parks and communities.
Among the engagements were WADA enlightenment lectures delivered to students and staff of Hausawa Special Primary School in Kano; Royal Crown School, Oluyole, Ibadan; Government Secondary School, Ibi, Taraba State; and drivers at the Challenge Bus Terminal Park in Ibadan, Oyo State, among others.
Commending officers and men of the DOGI Directorate and the Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa and Zamfara Commands for the successful operations, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), urged personnel across the country to sustain the Agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
Marwa said the approach, which combines enforcement with drug-demand reduction, prevention, sensitisation and community engagement, remains critical to addressing the country’s drug-related challenges.
By TimesNG