The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Lagos businessman accused of leading a drug trafficking network that allegedly attempted to smuggle cocaine to the United Kingdom.
The suspect, 55-year-old Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, who trades in clothes at Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was arrested on July 23 after investigators linked him to a cocaine shipment intercepted at the export section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA).
According to the NDLEA, officers had earlier discovered 3.30 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden inside cartons of food items meant for export to the UK. The discovery led to the arrest of three cargo agents identified as Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim. Their interrogation reportedly led operatives to another suspect, Kenneth Okakpu, who allegedly delivered the consignment for shipment.
Further investigations identified Chinedu as the alleged mastermind behind the operation. NDLEA said he was arrested while preparing to send another shipment of cocaine to the UK.
In another operation in Lagos, operatives arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo after intercepting a 2.80kg consignment of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, which had arrived from the United States on a United Airlines flight. She was arrested at her home in Surulere on July 21.
The agency also recorded a major breakthrough with the seizure of 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, valued at over ₦2.2 billion. The shipment, which arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight, was intercepted following intelligence-led operations.
At the Apapa Seaport, NDLEA officers uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5kg and worth more than ₦7.1 billion. The drugs had been concealed inside three vehicles packed into a shipping container.
Beyond drug enforcement, the agency also intercepted illegal ammunition in Katsina and Kaduna states. Two suspects were arrested with hundreds of rounds of ammunition concealed in separate operations, and both the suspects and recovered ammunition were handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
In Edo State, operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi community, recovering 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds. Two additional suspects were arrested with smaller quantities of cannabis during the operation.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the agency’s efforts in tackling drug trafficking while continuing public awareness campaigns against drug abuse across the country.
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