The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said its operatives have intercepted a large consignment of cocaine concealed in heads of imported dry stock fish.
The agency disclosed that the illicit consignment, intended for export to Delhi, was uncovered during a coordinated sting operation in Lagos.
According to a statement on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, the agency’s director of media and advocacy the breakthrough followed intelligence on the activities of a syndicate involved in cross-border drug distribution.
“The smashing of the drug syndicate followed intelligence on their trans-border criminal activities,” the statement reads.
The operation, carried out by the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Strategic Command, led to the arrest of a suspect identified as Akputa Dickson Ejike, in whose possession three jumbo bags were discovered.
A search of the bags revealed 237 wraps of cocaine carefully buried inside the heads of stock fish, locally known as ‘Okporoko’.
“The cocaine pellets have a gross weight of 5.80 kilograms. The consignment was intended for export to Delhi, India,” the agency stated.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives also intercepted two separate consignments bound for the United Kingdom at a Lagos courier facility.
The shipments, which originated from Cotonou, contained methamphetamine concealed in automobile filters, as well as morphine sulphate and fentanyl.
The agency further intensified its crackdown through raids across several states.
In Lagos, Omolade Abigail Jolayemi a suspected drug kingpin popularly known as “Iya Ghana”, was arrested alongside an accomplice, with over 76 kilograms of cannabis recovered from her residence.
Additional arrests were made in Surulere, Ekiti, Ondo, Benue, Edo and Taraba states, where large quantities of cannabis, methamphetamine and codeine-based substances were seized.
Among those arrested was an 80-year-old suspect in Ekiti State, as well as multiple individuals linked to the transportation and distribution of illicit drugs across state lines.
The NDLEA said the operations underscore its sustained efforts to dismantle drug networks and curb the trafficking of narcotics within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.