By Chimezie Godfrey
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has foiled attempts by drug trafficking organisations to smuggle consignments of illicit substances, including methamphetamine and opioids, concealed in carton walls, winter jackets and body cream containers to Europe.
The agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.
According to him, the interceptions were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, and a courier firm in Lagos.
Babafemi said two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the airport, leading to the arrest of suspects linked to the shipments.
“One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted on Friday 20th March 2026 while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in containers of skin light body cream packed in his luggage,” he said.
“In his statement, Ehianuka, who resides in Milan, confirmed that he was to be paid a negotiated fee in Euros if he had succeeded.”
He added that another passenger, Christian Agbonhese, was arrested on Wednesday 18th March while attempting to board a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Milan.
“No fewer than 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg; 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg were recovered from him, all concealed in two large winter jackets, bringing the total to 28,470 pills,” Babafemi stated.
At a courier firm, he said NDLEA officers intercepted 1kg of Loud cannabis shipped from the United States, while 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in carton walls and bound for New Zealand was also recovered.
He further disclosed that in Kano, two suspects were arrested with a total of 198kg of skunk, while in Lagos, 21,737 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from a store in Ijora.
“Two suspects were also arrested on the Third Mainland Bridge with 8,380 bottles of the same substance,” he said.
Babafemi listed other seizures across Edo, FCT, Oyo, Kaduna, Taraba and Adamawa states, involving large quantities of tramadol and cannabis, as well as multiple arrests.
He also noted that NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across schools and communities nationwide.
While commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, urged them to remain committed.
He quoted Marwa as enjoining officers “to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.”