NDLEA Cracks UK Cocaine Plot, Arrests Popular Lagos Businessman

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Lagos businessman accused of coordinating an attempt to smuggle cocaine into the United Kingdom, following a series of intelligence-led operations that also led to the seizure of narcotics worth billions of naira and the arrest of several suspects across the country.

The suspect, identified as 55-year-old Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, who trades in clothing at Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was arrested on July 23 after investigators linked him to a shipment containing 3.30 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside the walls of cartons filled with food items meant for export to the UK.

The illicit consignment was intercepted at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) on July 22.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, investigations first led to the arrest of three cargo agents identified as Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim, who handled the export process.

Their interrogation reportedly led operatives to Kenneth Okakpu, who allegedly delivered the shipment for export. Further investigations identified Onuigbo as the alleged coordinator of the trafficking operation, leading to his arrest while he was reportedly preparing another cocaine shipment for the United Kingdom.

In another operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 31-year-old businesswoman Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, on July 21 after intercepting a 2.80-kilogram consignment of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis product, that had arrived from the United States on a United Airlines flight the previous day.

The agency also recorded one of its largest pharmaceutical drug seizures after recovering 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg valued at more than ₦2.2 billion. The shipment, which arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight, was intercepted during a joint cargo examination on July 24 following intelligence gathered by NDLEA operatives.

Shortly before that seizure, officers intercepted another consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap that was being prepared for shipment to the United Kingdom through a courier company in Lagos.

At the Apapa Seaport, operatives uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kilograms with an estimated street value exceeding ₦7.1 billion. The drugs had been hidden inside three vehicles loaded into a shipping container.

Beyond drug-related operations, NDLEA also intercepted large quantities of ammunition during separate operations in Katsina and Kaduna states.

In Katsina State, officers arrested 30-year-old Mustapha Sani in Baure, Safana Local Government Area, after recovering 323 rounds of ammunition comprising 200 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and 123 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition.

On the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway near Jere, another suspect, identified as 30-year-old Abubakar Amadu, was arrested with 73 rounds of 7.62mm RLA ammunition concealed inside kegs filled with red palm oil.

The agency said both suspects and the recovered ammunition had been handed over to the appropriate security authorities for further investigation.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, where they recovered 1,286 kilograms of cannabis and 86 kilograms of cannabis seeds.

Two additional suspects were arrested during the operation. Forty-five-year-old Ojore Onweze was found in possession of 60 kilograms of skunk, while 30-year-old George Agwumede was arrested with another 13 kilograms of the substance.

Apart from enforcement activities, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign by organising awareness programmes in schools and communities, including Government Day Secondary School, Sabon Wuse in Niger State, Government Girls Secondary School, Shekara in Kano State, and Otto Primary School in Ebute Metta, Lagos.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, as well as personnel from the MMIA, Apapa, Edo, Kaduna and Katsina commands for the successful operations. He urged officers nationwide to sustain efforts aimed at reducing drug trafficking while expanding public education on the dangers of drug abuse.