The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 48-year-old businessman, Nwankwo Innocent Onyebuchi, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while allegedly attempting to travel to India with 1.55kg of cocaine concealed inside his luggage.
The suspect, who reportedly deals in marble in Lagos, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal II while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi. NDLEA operatives discovered the cocaine hidden inside the side walls and railings of his check-in bag during a search.
According to the agency, the suspect confessed that he had sold his marble business and other assets to raise N23 millionto purchase the consignment, with plans to sell it in India for about N100 million.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse located within a residential compound on Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace, Okota, where they recovered 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over N2.6 billion.
The seizure was made during an intelligence-led operation conducted between August 7 and 8, 2026.
The agency also arrested a suspected drug kingpin, 55-year-old Shoremi Kayode, at his residence in Ipaja, Lagos. Operatives recovered 324kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, valued at about N972 million, alongside a Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota Corolla.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives arrested Abubakar Adamu, 50, and Bilyaminu Nuhu, 30, at Kam Wire area of Ilorin. The suspects were allegedly found with 55.96kg of skunk in a truck.
Meanwhile, two other suspects, 70-year-old Abdulfatai Oyelaran and 50-year-old Abdulrauf Ajadi, were arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Oyo State. NDLEA officers reportedly recovered 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection from their Toyota Sienna vehicle.
The NDLEA said the arrests and seizures formed part of its ongoing intelligence-led operations aimed at disrupting drug trafficking and the distribution of illicit and controlled substances across the country.
