Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 55-year-old businessman, Ndubisi Chinedu Onuigbo, over his alleged involvement in an international drug trafficking network, following the interception of cocaine concealed in cartons of food items destined for the United Kingdom.
According to the agency, 3.30 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden inside the walls of export cartons were discovered at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on July 22, 2026
.Investigations led to the arrest of three cargo agents Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim who handled the shipment. Their interrogation further led to the arrest of Kenneth Okakpu, who reportedly delivered the consignment for export.
NDLEA officials later identified Onuigbo, a clothing trader at Balogun Market in Lagos, as the alleged mastermind behind the operation. He was arrested while allegedly attempting to arrange another cocaine shipment to the United Kingdom.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, after intercepting a 2.80kg consignment of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, which arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight.
The agency also intercepted 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, estimated to be worth over N2.2 billion, during a joint examination of cargo imported from India through Lagos airport. Another operation at a courier company in Lagos led to the discovery of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap and prepared for export to the United Kingdom. At the Apapa Seaport, NDLEA officers uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kilogrammes and valued at more than N7.1 billion.
The illicit substances were hidden inside three vehicles loaded in a container.Meanwhile, in Edo State, operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi Community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, recovering 1,286 kilogrammes of cannabis and 86 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.
Two suspects, identified as 45-year-old Ojore Onweze and 30-year-old George Agwumede, were also arrested during the operation with quantities of skunk in their possession. The series of seizures highlights the NDLEA’s ongoing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks and curb the movement of illicit substances across Nigeria.
