NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Mortar, Backpack Bound for China, Italy
…Arrests Suspected Drug Kingpin in Rivers
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted consignments of cocaine ingeniously concealed in a local mortar and the false bottom of a backpack, both packaged for shipment to China and Italy through a logistics company in Lagos, as the agency intensified its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.
The anti-narcotics agency also announced the arrest of a suspected notorious drug dealer in Rivers State, alongside several other suspects in coordinated operations across Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa and Zamfara states, leading to the seizure of large quantities of narcotic drugs and controlled substances.
According to the NDLEA, operatives of its Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI) made the export-related seizures on Thursday, 30 July 2026, after uncovering sophisticated concealment methods designed to evade security checks.
Among the consignments intercepted was 250 grammes of cocaine factory-fitted into the base of a locally made mortar, packaged in a carton and destined for China. Officers also recovered another 500 grammes of cocaine hidden in the false bottom of a backpack prepared for shipment to Italy.
The agency said the discoveries underscored the increasing ingenuity of international drug trafficking syndicates seeking to smuggle illicit substances out of Nigeria through courier and logistics channels.
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence arrested a 38-year-old suspected drug dealer, Ugo Gift Okonkwo, at Eagle Island in Port Harcourt.
The suspect, described by the agency as notorious, was apprehended on Sunday, 26 July, with assorted illicit substances, including cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, swinol, tramadol and codeine syrup.
In another major operation, officers on stop-and-search duty at the DMGS Roundabout in Onitsha, Anambra State, intercepted a truck bearing registration number XK 131 BDG loaded with 26,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing a total of 3,960 kilogrammes.
The truck driver, 40-year-old Chinedu Nwanze, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
Similarly, along the Kwale-Ughelli Expressway in Delta State, NDLEA officers recovered 331.84 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in a Toyota Sienna bus with registration number KUJ 26 DV during an operation conducted on Sunday, 26 July.
In Nasarawa State, operatives arrested a 64-year-old suspect, Joseph Nwaeke, at Asso Angwan Muazu in the Karu area on Tuesday, 28 July. The agency said he was found in possession of 68 kilogrammes of skunk and 29 grammes of methamphetamine.
The agency also recorded a significant seizure in Zamfara State, where patrol teams intercepted 27-year-old Sani Umar along the Zaria-Gusau highway on Monday, 27 July.
According to NDLEA, the suspect was transporting 7,400 tablets of 225mg tramadol believed to be intended for supply to criminal elements operating in the region, highlighting concerns over the use of illicit drugs by armed groups.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said it sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes targeting schools, transport workers, religious centres and local communities.
During the past week, awareness lectures were delivered to pupils and staff of Hausawa Special Primary School in Kano, students of Royal Crown School in Oluyole, Ibadan, Government Secondary School in Ibi, Taraba State, and commercial drivers at Challenge Bus Terminal Park in Ibadan, among other locations.
Commending officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations as well as personnel of the Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa and Zamfara Commands for the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), urged them to remain steadfast in the agency’s balanced strategy of combining robust enforcement with sustained public enlightenment.
Marwa said the dual approach remained essential to reducing both the supply of illicit drugs and the demand for narcotics across the country, while strengthening Nigeria’s fight against organised drug trafficking networks.
