Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Trans Fortress Global Resources, Mr. Kolapo Oladapo Raji, over alleged involvement in drug trafficking, while also foiling separate attempts to smuggle cocaine and opioids through Kano and Lagos borders.
Raji, 57, described by investigators as a major figure in an emerging drug network, was apprehended at his Safe Court Apartment residence in Ikate, Lekki, Lagos, on Thursday, February 12, 2026, following what the agency said was sustained surveillance.
According to the NDLEA, Raji had been on its watchlist since 2025 based on credible intelligence linking him to illicit drug activities. He was arrested shortly after returning from the United Kingdom.
A search of his residence led to the recovery of four large bags containing parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 89.20 kilograms. Officers also seized a 2024 model Toyota Hilux at the point of arrest.
In his statement to investigators, Raji reportedly admitted venturing into the illicit drug trade after financing consignments for an overseas associate. He said the hundreds of millions of naira he received as profit motivated him to establish his own independent drug distribution channel.
Fake Pregnancy and Cocaine Ingestion Foiled
In separate operations, NDLEA operatives thwarted two drug trafficking attempts involving concealment methods described by officials as “bizarre.”
At the Seme land border in Lagos, officers intercepted a 35-year-old Kano-based businesswoman, Rabi Muhammad, on Monday, February 16, 2026, at the departure tarmac while she attempted to cross into Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Muhammad appeared heavily pregnant, but a full-body search uncovered that her protruding stomach was fake. The “baby bump” was designed with a pink-coloured calabash strapped around her waist and used to conceal 3,200 capsules of tramadol, which she intended to sell in Cotonou.
On the same day, NDLEA officers at the screening point of the departure hall of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport intercepted a 41-year-old Ivorian national, Michael Gohouri, also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael.
Gohouri was undergoing outward clearance for passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan’s Malpensa Airport via Addis Ababa when he was flagged for further checks. A body scan confirmed ingestion of illicit substances.
He was placed under observation and subsequently excreted 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kilograms.
Investigations revealed that Gohouri had arrived in Lagos from Milan on January 17, 2026, and had been shuttling between Lagos and Enugu for three weeks before travelling to Kano, where he stayed for a week. He reportedly ingested the cocaine consignment in his hotel room and was promised a payment of 5,000 euros upon successful delivery in Milan.
The suspect, who resides at Reu Duce Avenue 13, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, told authorities that his father, Bade Gohouri, is Ivorian, while his mother hails from Anunwa compound, Urunnebo village, Ukwan in Enugu State. He applied for asylum in Italy in 2013 and obtained a residence permit valid until May 25, 2026. He also holds a Nigerian National Identification Number bearing the name Anunwa Onyinye Michael.
The NDLEA said the operations underscore its intensified crackdown on drug trafficking networks operating across borders and within Nigeria, including individuals in prominent professional circles.
