Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 34-year-old South African woman, Qhina Beauty, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, after allegedly recovering 36.65 kilograms of cocaine from her luggage.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The agency also arrested a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother, Anetor Gloria Ubong, with 9.45kg of high-grade cannabis, popularly known as loud, allegedly imported from the United States.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrests in a statement issued to Naija News on Sunday.

In separate operations across the country, the agency’s operatives also seized large quantities of illicit drugs in Kano, Lagos, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Oyo and Delta states.

According to the statement, Qhina was arrested on October 7, 2026, at the departure hall of the Lagos airport while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa through Doha.

A search of her two travel bags reportedly led to the discovery of 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg. The drugs were allegedly mixed with dried pepper, wrapped in cello tape and arranged in seven separate parcels.

During interrogation, the suspect reportedly told investigators that she arrived in Nigeria on September 30 specifically to collect the consignment. She allegedly said another South African woman recruited her and promised to pay her R20,000 upon successful delivery.

She also claimed that she was introduced to two other members of the alleged drug trafficking network, one based in the United States and the other a car dealer in Lagos.

Following further investigations, NDLEA operatives arrested the 46-year-old car dealer, Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, on October 14. He was reportedly intercepted at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, after operatives had conducted surveillance at his residence in Shasha.

The agency said Umunnakwe admitted receiving Qhina at the airport and arranging accommodation for her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin before relocating her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport ahead of her scheduled departure.

In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives arrested Ubong on Wednesday, October 21, following her arrival on a United Airlines flight from Houston, United States.

Ubong, a realtor based in Richmond, Texas, reportedly holds both Nigerian and American passports.

A search of her two checked-in boxes allegedly uncovered 18 parcels of loud weighing 9.45kg. The substance, identified as a form of cannabis, was reportedly concealed in one of the boxes with gift-wrapping paper.

The suspect allegedly told investigators that her daughter and her daughter’s future brother-in-law had delivered the package to her home in the United States for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, identified as Jibola.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives attached to a special operations unit arrested 41-year-old Eletu Rasheedat in the Eti Osa area of Lagos on Friday, October 23.

The operation reportedly led to the recovery of 5,820 diazepam pills, 780 tramadol tablets, 3.7kg of skunk cannabis and 230.25 litres of a substance known as skuchies.

In Delta State, operatives arrested 51-year-old Peter Ugochukwu in Warri over the alleged possession of a large quantity of pharmaceutical opioids and other substances.

The items reportedly recovered from him included 29,350 tramadol capsules, 6,620 tablets of 200mg tramadol, 4,116 bottles of codeine syrup, 11,340 Rohypnol tablets, 3,500 diazepam tablets, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 200 ampoules of diazepam injection.

Other substances allegedly recovered included quantities of tramadol 225mg, Molly and Cocodamol. Ugochukwu was reportedly transferred to the NDLEA alongside a white Hummer bus by the Nigeria Police Force in Delta State.

In another operation at Enhere Junction, Warri, a 46-year-old woman with a physical disability, Helen Bakporo Samson, was arrested on Monday, October 19, with 6kg of skunk cannabis, according to the agency.

Also, 41-year-old Fajana Dada Oluwaseyi was arrested on October 19 in the Adamasingba area of Ibadan, Oyo State, after allegedly escaping arrest during an earlier operation.

The NDLEA said its operatives had seized 197.8kg of cannabis from his residence on September 16 before his subsequent arrest.

In Kano State, a raid conducted in the Gerawa area on Thursday, October 22, led to the arrest of 30-year-old Murtala Lawan and the seizure of 159 blocks of cannabis weighing 97.2kg.

Similarly, NDLEA officers at the Lankaviri checkpoint in Yorro Local Government Area of Taraba State arrested 39-year-old Raiyanu Misa on Friday, October 23, with 95 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 60.175kg.

On the same day, the Nigeria Police Force handed over another suspect to the agency after his arrest in Dakka village, Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State. The suspect was reportedly found with 112 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 81.49kg.

The NDLEA statement further disclosed that 26-year-old Emmanuel Ekene was arrested on Monday, October 19, along the Sabo-Kainji Road in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.

The agency said 64,000 opioid pills, including tramadol and diazepam, were recovered from him.

In Bauchi State, operatives arrested 45-year-old Jamilu Mustapha, also known as Last Card, on Wednesday, October 21, in Nasaru Town, Ningi Local Government Area. The operation reportedly led to the seizure of 379kg of cannabis packed in seven large sacks.

In Ondo State, NDLEA officers, acting on intelligence, raided a farm in Board-Ala, Akure South, on Tuesday, October 20, and recovered 56 abandoned bags of cannabis weighing 583kg.

The agency also destroyed two cannabis farms in Ugbada Forest, Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, on Sunday, October 18. The farms were estimated to have a potential yield of 2,023.14kg of cannabis.

During the operation, operatives reportedly burnt 450kg of processed cannabis at the site and took another 97kg as exhibits.

In a related operation in Ewe community, Owan West, 42-year-old Mary Edokhai was arrested with 35kg of the psychoactive substance.

Beyond its enforcement activities, the NDLEA said its commands and formations across the country continued public awareness campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.

The sensitisation exercises were held in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities during the week under review.

Among the institutions visited were Oje Grammar School in Ibadan, Oyo State; Government Day Secondary School, Kwamba, Niger State; Baptist Primary School, Olorunda, Ogun State; Government Secondary School, Yalea, Kano State; Community Secondary School, Igogoro, Enugu State; Urban Girls Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra State; and Kelebe Community Grammar School, Osogbo, Osun State.

Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised personnel of the MMIA, Kano, Lagos, Bauchi, Niger, Edo, Ondo, Taraba, Oyo and Delta commands for their vigilance, professionalism and intelligence-led efforts.

Marwa urged NDLEA personnel nationwide to sustain their efforts in combating drug trafficking and substance abuse.