The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled an intercontinental drug trafficking network, intercepting cocaine concealed inside a traditional mortar and a backpack while arresting suspected drug kingpins in coordinated operations across several states.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the seizures were made on Thursday, July 30, 2026, by operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI).
The agency said it intercepted 250 grams of cocaine factory-fitted into the base of a carton-packed local mortar destined for China, while another 500 grams of cocaine was discovered hidden inside the false bottom of a backpack bound for Italy before both consignments could be shipped through a logistics company in Lagos.
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives arrested 38-year-old suspected drug kingpin Ugo Gift Okonkwo during an intelligence-led operation at Eagle Island in Port Harcourt on Sunday, July 26. The operation led to the recovery of large quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, swinol, tramadol and codeine syrup.
In Anambra State, operatives mounted a stop-and-search operation at the DMGS Roundabout in Onitsha on Monday, July 27, where they intercepted a truck marked XK 131 BDG. A search of the vehicle uncovered 26,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing about 3,960 kilograms, leading to the arrest of the 40-year-old driver, Chinedu Nwanze.
The agency also recorded major seizures in Delta and Nasarawa states. In Delta, officers intercepted a Toyota Sienna bus along the Kwale/Ughelli Expressway on Sunday, July 26, recovering 331.84 kilograms of skunk. Two days later, operatives raided Asso Angwan Muazu in Karu, Nasarawa State, arresting 64-year-old Joseph Nwaeke with 68 kilograms of skunk and 29 grams of methamphetamine.
In Zamfara State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Zaria-Gusau Highway arrested 27-year-old Sani Umar on Monday, July 27. He was found in possession of 7,400 tablets of 225mg tramadol, which the agency believes were being transported to armed bandits and other criminal groups operating in the region.
Beyond enforcement, the agency intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign by conducting anti-drug awareness programmes in schools, communities, workplaces and transport hubs across the country.
The sensitisation campaign reached students and staff of Hausawa Special Primary School in Kano, Royal Crown School in Oluyole, Ibadan, Government Secondary School in Ibi, Taraba State, as well as commercial drivers at the Challenge Bus Terminal in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) and commands in Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa and Zamfara states for the successful operations.
Marwa praised their professionalism and tactical coordination, saying the operations dealt significant blows to both local and international drug trafficking syndicates. He also urged officers nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach by intensifying drug enforcement operations while expanding preventive advocacy against drug abuse across Nigerian communities.
