Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA have foiled multiple attempts by drug trafficking organisations to smuggle illicit substances to Europe, intercepting consignments concealed in cartons, winter jackets and body cream containers.
In a statement issued on Sunday, March 22, 2026, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the interceptions were recorded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a courier firm in Lagos, as well as in coordinated operations across several states.
According to him, two suspects linked to drug shipments bound for Italy were arrested at the Lagos airport. One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted on Friday, March 20, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg hidden inside containers of skin-lightening body cream.
Babafemi quoted the suspect as admitting that “he was to be paid a negotiated fee in Euros if he had succeeded in trafficking the consignment to Italy.”
In a separate operation on March 18, NDLEA operatives arrested another Italy-bound passenger, Christian Agbonhese, at the departure hall while trying to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan. A search of his luggage led to the discovery of 28,470 pills of opioids concealed in winter jackets.
The agency also intercepted drug consignments at a Lagos courier firm, including one kilogram of a strong cannabis strain known as “Loud” shipped from the United States, as well as 158 grams of methamphetamine hidden in carton walls and bound for New Zealand.
Beyond Lagos, Babafemi said the crackdown extended nationwide, with major seizures recorded in Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, the Federal Capital Territory, Taraba and Adamawa states. These included over 586,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 recovered along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, 82.8kg of tramadol seized in Adamawa, and large quantities of skunk recovered in multiple states.
He added that suspects were arrested in connection with each operation, including a bus driver in Abuja found transporting 91,840 tramadol pills concealed in vehicle compartments.
The NDLEA spokesman further noted that the agency had intensified its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools and communities across the country.
He said the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the momentum.
Babafemi quoted him as encouraging personnel “to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.”
