Lipstick of Doom: NDLEA Foils Plot to Smuggle Cocaine, Tramadol Across Nigeria

Drug Lords Exposed! NDLEA Seizes Lipstick-Stashed Cocaine, Millions in Foreign Cheques....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking networks, announcing multiple high-profile seizures and arrests across Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation intercepted two cocaine consignments disguised as everyday items at a courier facility in Lagos. The first was 420 grams of cocaine hidden in 84 lipsticks bound for the United Kingdom, while the second involved 280 grams concealed within a Certificate of Occupancy en route to Saudi Arabia.

In a separate sting operation, NDLEA agents arrested a notorious suspect, Ajetsibo Emami, popularly known as “Warri Kinsman,” after a three-day surveillance that dismantled his drug distribution network. The operation led to the seizure of 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of “Canadian Loud,” a premium strain of cannabis, weighing more than 414 kilograms. The drugs were intercepted while being transported from Ikeja to Lekki for redistribution.

Further investigations uncovered a family-run drug syndicate, leading to the arrest of businessman Ajah Johnson Uchenna, his wife Rosemary, their daughters Stella and Ngozi, and a family friend, Okoro Elijah. The arrests followed an earlier DSS-led bust that recovered 277.5kg of cannabis. A follow-up NDLEA raid on the family’s residence yielded another 231kg, with evidence suggesting the children continued operations during their parents’ absence.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, operatives nabbed Aburemi Hysent, a frequent international traveller, with 7,660 pills of Tramadol hidden in food items intended for delivery in Italy. He reportedly admitted he was promised €800 for the delivery.

In another airport operation, NDLEA agents uncovered 52 travellers’ cheques worth AU$17.7 million cleverly hidden in children’s books on a Turkish Airlines flight headed to Malaysia via Istanbul. The consignment was traced to freight forwarder Bolarinwa Saheed, who is now in custody. The cheques have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.

The agency also reported a range of other enforcement successes across Nigeria:

• Lagos (Seme Border): 718 balls of cannabis (359kg) recovered from a storage facility.

• Okene-Lokoja Highway: 10,000 pills of Tramadol and Co-codamol, and over 1kg of synthetic cannabis seized; suspects arrested in Abuja.

• Osun State: Three operations led to the seizure of over 48,000 opioid pills in Ile-Ife and Osogbo; a 9.6-hectare cannabis plantation was also destroyed in Oke-Ila forest, with seven suspects apprehended.

• Borno & Kano: A combined 619kg of cannabis confiscated.

• Cross River: 78-year-old Mike Abeng was arrested with 14kg of skunk and Tramadol.

• Other states with arrests/seizures: Sokoto, Kebbi, Taraba, Edo, and the Abuja-Kaduna expressway.

Meanwhile, under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, the NDLEA held community sensitisation programs and lectures across Lagos, Enugu, Katsina, and Borno to deepen public awareness of drug-related dangers.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the agency’s personnel for maintaining a “balanced strategy” of enforcement and education, and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to curbing drug trafficking through proactive interdiction and public engagement.