NDLEA Uncovers N3bn Worth of Opioids in Massive Lagos Airport Raid

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted over N3 billion worth of illicit opioids at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos during a series of coordinated, nationwide anti-narcotics operations.

The multi-billion-Naira haul, uncovered during a joint examination of three monitored consignments imported from India and Bangladesh, yielded 2,550,000 pills of Tramaking and Royal Tapentadol weighing 1,640.55 kilograms.

The agency also dismantled several drug trafficking networks across Lagos, Oyo, Edo, and Bauchi states. In Oyo State, NDLEA officers intercepted two Togolese nationals, Yinusa Abdulsamad and Fatai Baba, along the Iganna-Ilero road with 305.6kg of Ghanaian-sourced skunk brought in via a cross-border smuggling ring.

At the Seme border in Badagry, five suspects were arrested with 420 cartons of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, weighing over 1,600kg.

In a separate airport interception at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, operatives arrested a 25-year-old Europe-bound businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu.

The suspect, who got married earlier in the month, was caught attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal after ingesting 72 wraps of cocaine. He confessed to turning to drug trafficking to offset expenses incurred during his recent wedding.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers across the state commands for the successful seizures and urged them to sustain their balanced approach to drug control, enforcement, and public sensitization.