A total of 4,959 kilogrammes of loud which street value was put at ₦12, 397,500,000 was recovered in Lagos, last Wednesday, by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
This followed a major interdiction operation by operatives of two NDLEA Special Operations tracking and monitoring a container laden with 195 big sacks of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis from Toronto, Canada.
The efforts paid off, after over four weeks, as the illicit drug consignment was recovered from the container during a joint examination of the shipment by officers of the Apapa Strategic Command of the agency, men of Customs Service, other security agencies and ports stakeholders at the Apapa ports complex, Lagos.
How ₦12.3Bn Loud Was Recovered
As stated in a press release by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the large illicit drug consignment was loaded into a 40ft container, comprising a Ford and a Nissan vehicle.
It came under the NDLEA tracking and monitoring system since 25 April, 2026 when it arrived in Toronto, Canada via truck, Montreal via rail on 29 April, Tanger Med Morocco on 11 May.
It was loaded on another vessel on 23 May before arriving Tin Can Port Lagos on 4 June and discharged there 5 June before the container eventually left Tin Can and arrived at the Apapa Port on Monday, 22 June.
In another major operation, a China-bound 38-year-old businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, has been arrested by NDLEA operatives.
She was arrested following the discovery of a large consignment of cocaine concealed in false bottom of her luggage while heading to Beijing, China, aboard a Qatar Airways flight, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.
Iwebema, who claimed that she travels to China to buy items for sale in Nigeria, was arrested last Sunday at the Departure Hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos Airport, based on credible intelligence.
“A search of her check-in luggage led to the discovery of four large parcels of cocaine concealed in false bottom professionally created in her bag.
“The parcels of the Class A drug found hidden in the bag have a combined weight of 7.5 kilogrammes,” it was added in the release.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in FCT, Abuja, in a joint operation with their colleagues in Anambra State, have unraveled a syndicate which plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers in motor parks.
“Their trick came to the fore when operatives in Abuja intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine in a Toyata Sienna bus coming from Nnewi, Anambra State at Abaji, FCT on Saturday, 20 June, 2026.
“During a search of the bus, a waybill package was recovered containing whitish substances suspected to be methamphetamine concealed inside a black nylon bag, which was also put into another sack of clothes with the phone number of the receiver written on it.
“A follow up operation conducted same day led to the arrest of the supposed receiver of the waybill, Mrs. Gloria Peter, at Utako motor park. She, however, vehemently denied knowledge and ownership of the package in her luggage.
“This led to a swift arrest of the loaders of the Sienna bus in Nnewi where one of them revealed that the drug package was put into the woman’s bag by him on the directive of the driver of the bus, Abdurrazak Isah.
“His revelations made the driver to open up and mentioned one of his passengers, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, as the actual owner of the drug.
“Onyebuchi was then picked up at Utako, FCT during another follow up operation. The illicit consignment weighed 467.7grammes, it was added.
In a related development, operatives of a Special Operations Unit of NDLEA, last Saturday, acting on credible intelligence, arrested one 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos with 209.50kg Scottish Loud.
He was caught with the strong strain of cannabis, an illicit consignment which was said was being taken to Enugu State when it was intercepted.
In another development, two nationals of Benin Republic– Hossou Tito Julien (30); and Mancellim Dossou (19)–, as well as a Nigerian, Jackson ThankGod, have been arrested by NDLEA operatives following credible intelligence.
“They were nabbed on the Mile 2 Bridge when their truck conveying illicit drug consignment from Togo through Benin Republic was intercepted last Sunday.
“A thorough search of the truck led to the recovery of 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg, concealed in a fabricated compartment of the vehicle,” it was disclosed.
Similarly, two suspects, Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo, were also arrested along Lagos–Ibadan Expressway last Friday while transporting 118kg skunk among other legitimate goods in a truck, which left Ebute Ero area of Lagos Island, heading to Onitsha, Anambra State.
In another operation in Lagos, Helen Ese Idiji (40), and Rashidat Sa’adullah, (53) were arrested same Friday at 15 Olumokun Street, Amukoko, with 28.8 kilogrammes of skunk recovered from them.
“Investigation revealed that the principal suspect, Helen, stored her illicit consignments with the second suspect, Rashidat, from where she distributes to her customers.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities, among others, in the past week.
These included WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Government Girls Science Secondary School, Damaturu, Yobe; Adesalu Primary School, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos;
Government Girls Secondary School, Badawa, Kano; School of Science and Islamic Studies, Ankpa, Kogi; and Community Secondary School, Ezimo, Udenu LGA, Enugu state, among others.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), has commended the officers and men of the MMIA, SOUs, Apapa, FCT, Anambra, and Lagos commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures.
Noting their drug supply reduction efforts, balanced with WADA sensitisation activities, he charged them and their compatriots across the country not to rest on their oars.
