NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Mortar, Backpack Destined for China, Italy
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 were made on Thursday, July 30, 2026, by officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI).
The first consignment contained 250 grams of cocaine factory-fitted into the base of a local mortar and packed inside a carton for export to China. In a separate operation, officers recovered another 500 grams of cocaine concealed in the false bottom of a backpack being shipped to Italy.
The latest seizures formed part of a series of nationwide operations conducted by the anti-narcotics agency to disrupt the trafficking, distribution and supply of illicit drugs across Nigeria.
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 38-year-old suspected drug dealer, Ugo Gift Okonkwo, at Eagle Island, Port Harcourt, following credible intelligence. He was arrested on Sunday, July 26, with various quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, swinol, tramadol and codeine-based syrup.
Similarly, NDLEA officers conducting a stop-and-search operation at DMGS Roundabout, Onitsha, Anambra State, on Monday, July 27, intercepted a truck marked XK 131 BDG loaded with 26,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 3,960kg. The 40-year-old driver, Chinedu Nwanze, was arrested in connection with the consignment.
In Delta State, operatives recovered 331.84kg of skunk from a Toyota Sienna bus with registration number KUJ 26 DV along the Kwale-Ughelli Expressway on Sunday, July 26.
In Nasarawa State, a 64-year-old suspect, Joseph Nwaeke, was arrested at Asso Angwan Muazu in the Karu area on Tuesday, July 28. Officers recovered 68kg of skunk and 29 grams of methamphetamine from him.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Zamfara State intercepted 7,400 tablets of tramadol 225mg during a patrol along the Zaria-Gusau Highway on Monday, July 27. The drugs were allegedly being transported as supplies for criminal elements. A 27-year-old suspect, Sani Umar, was arrested.
Beyond its enforcement operations, the NDLEA also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign during the week, taking drug-abuse prevention messages to schools, worship centres, workplaces, motor parks and communities across the country.
Among the beneficiaries of the sensitisation activities were students and staff of Hausawa Special Primary School in Kano, Royal Crown School in Oluyole, Ibadan, Government Secondary School in Ibi, Taraba State, and drivers at Challenge Bus Terminal Park in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Commending officers and men of the DOGI and Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa and Zamfara Commands for their operational successes, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
He stressed the importance of combining effective enforcement with prevention, public education and community engagement in the ongoing fight against illicit drugs.
NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Mortar, Backpack Destined for China, Italy