NDLEA Intercepts Italy-Bound Businessman With 4.8kg Cocaine Hidden In Shoes, Bag Railings
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, with 4.8 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and the railings of travelling bags.
Tunde was arrested on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
NDLEA operatives searching his luggage recovered 16 parcels of a white powdery substance concealed in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes. A further 195 wraps of the substance were found hidden in the railings of four travelling bags.
The substances tested positive for cocaine and weighed a combined 4.80kg. During interrogation, the suspect reportedly told NDLEA investigators that he had paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment hidden in the bags was intended for delivery to his partner in Italy.
He reportedly claimed that the money used to purchase the cocaine came from compensation he received following an injury sustained while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.
The airport arrest was among a series of operations in which the anti-narcotics agency intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs at seaports and across several states, including shipments of cannabis and codeine-based cough syrup with a combined street value running into billions of naira.
At the Apapa Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives, working with Customs and other stakeholders, subjected two containers shipped from Bangkok, Thailand, to 100 per cent examination following intelligence on their movement.
A search of one of the containers on September 3 led to the discovery of 161 parcels of Thai Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million. The drugs were concealed in two refrigerators and two cartons.
At the Onne Port in Rivers State, two containers placed on the NDLEA watch list following intelligence were also subjected to joint examination. Officers recovered 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg from one of the containers, hidden in a travelling bag and three of five vehicles shipped inside it.
The second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg. According to the agency, the container had originated from India and was routed through Saudi Arabia, where its history of origin was allegedly deleted to prevent it from being targeted.
The Loud and codeine consignments intercepted at Onne had a combined street value of N833.2 million.
At the Tincan Island Port, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on September 29 conducted a joint examination of another watch-listed container shipped from Montreal, Canada.
The search uncovered 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg and valued at more than N3.8 billion. The drugs were concealed in a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, alongside 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags.
The agency also continued its operations against cannabis cultivation, destroying 20,234kg of skunk found on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State, on September 30.
In Plateau State, a 41-year-old suspect, Agbo Dennis, was arrested in the West of Mines area of Jos North on September 29 following the seizure of 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, on September 28 and recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol.
The agency subsequently arrested 23-year-old Ekundayo Taiwo at Ladipo Spare Parts Market on September 30 in a follow-up operation.
His arrest followed the seizure of 61 grammes of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis strain, and 24 grammes of methamphetamine concealed in an energy-drink bottle and sent as a waybill package through a commercial bus driver on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
In Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway intercepted a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus on September 30 and discovered a waybill containing two sachets of methamphetamine weighing 1kg.
A follow-up investigation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, 29-year-old Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, at Utako, Abuja.
In Edo State, officers raided the residence of 35-year-old Saturday Omimi at Uyere community in Ovia North-East Local Government Area on October 2 and recovered 32.2kg of cannabis sativa.
The same day, NDLEA operatives arrested 23-year-old Osazuwa Iyabor Michael at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with 59 grammes of Loud, 12 grammes of Colorado, 19 grammes of tramadol, 16 grammes of methamphetamine, four grammes of Swinol and four grammes of Molly.
The agency also announced the arrest of a fugitive, Idris Mohammed Kurra, six years after he allegedly jumped bail while facing trial at the Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State.
Kurra, 47, had been standing trial in connection with alleged possession and dealing in 198kg of skunk. He reportedly jumped bail granted by the court in December 2020 and remained at large until his arrest by NDLEA operatives on September 29.
Beyond seizures and arrests, the NDLEA said its commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
Among the institutions visited for drug-abuse awareness activities were St Paul’s Secondary School, Oji, Enugu; Olu-Odo Primary School, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos; Government Junior Secondary School, Tsamiya, Kano; Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti; and Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended officers of the MMIA, Apapa, Tincan, Port Harcourt Port Complex, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau and Osun commands for what he described as professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
Marwa urged personnel of the agency to sustain the pressure on drug trafficking networks while maintaining what he described as a balanced approach to drug control efforts.
