NDLEA Intercepts Italy-Bound Businessman With Cocaine Hidden in Shoes, Travel Bags
Agency Seizes N5bn Worth of Loud, Codeine at Lagos, Onne Ports; Destroys 20,234kg Cannabis in Osun
Oru Leonard
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has intercepted a 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.80kg of cocaine to Milan, Italy, with the illicit drug concealed in the soles of shoes and railings of travelling bags.
Tunde was arrested on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan.
According to the NDLEA, a search of his luggage led to the discovery of 16 parcels of cocaine concealed inside eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, as well as 195 wraps hidden in the railings of four travelling bags.
The combined weight of the cocaine was 4.80kg.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly disclosed that he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine hidden in the shoes, while the consignment concealed in the bags was intended for delivery to a business partner in Italy.
He reportedly told investigators that the money used to purchase the cocaine came from compensation he received after suffering an injury at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives have intercepted multiple consignments of high-value illicit drugs at the Apapa, Tincan Island and Onne ports, with a combined street value running into billions of naira.
At the Apapa Port, Lagos, two containers shipped from Bangkok, Thailand, were subjected to 100 per cent examination following intelligence received by the agency.
A search of one of the containers on September 3 uncovered 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million. The cannabis strain was concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons.
At the Onne Port in Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, working with Customs and other security agencies, discovered 22kg of Loud packed in 40 parcels and hidden in a travelling bag and three vehicles—a Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra—shipped inside one of two watch-listed containers.
The second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.
The agency said the container originated from India and was shipped to Saudi Arabia, where details of its original destination had been altered in an apparent attempt to evade detection.
The Loud and codeine consignments recovered at Onne were valued at N833.2 million.
At the Tincan Island Port, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on September 29 conducted a joint examination of a watch-listed container from Montreal, Canada.
The search resulted in the recovery of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg. The drugs were concealed inside a Toyota Sienna and Hyundai Elantra, alongside 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags.
The consignment was estimated to have a street value of more than N3.8 billion.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives have destroyed 20,234kg of skunk harvested from 8.0936 hectares of cannabis plantation in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State. The operation was carried out on Wednesday, September 30.
In Plateau State, a 41-year-old suspect, Agbo Dennis, was arrested on September 29 at West of Mines, Jos North, following the seizure of 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, on September 28 and recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol.
In a follow-up operation at Ladipo Spare Parts Market on September 30, operatives arrested 23-year-old Ekundayo Taiwo after recovering 61 grams of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24 grams of methamphetamine.
The drugs were allegedly concealed inside a bottle of energy drink and sent as a waybill package through a commercial bus driver along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State, NDLEA operatives on September 30 intercepted a Lagos-Abuja-bound commercial bus and discovered a waybill containing two sachets of methamphetamine weighing 1kg.
A follow-up investigation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, 29-year-old Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, at Utako, Abuja.
In Edo State, NDLEA officers raided the residence of 35-year-old Saturday Omimi at Uyere community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, on October 2 and recovered 32.2kg of cannabis sativa.
The same day, 23-year-old Osazuwa Iyabor Michael was arrested at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with 59 grams of Loud, 12 grams of Colorado, 19 grams of tramadol, 16 grams of methamphetamine, 4 grams of Swinol and 4 grams of Molly.
The NDLEA also announced the arrest of 47-year-old Idris Mohammed Kurra, a fugitive who allegedly evaded arrest for six years after jumping bail.
Kurra was arrested on September 29, 2026.
He was standing trial before the Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, over alleged possession and dealing in 198kg of skunk when he reportedly jumped bail granted to him in December 2020.
The agency said he remained at large until his recent arrest.
Beyond seizures and arrests, the NDLEA said its commands and formations nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation programmes during the week.
The campaigns were held in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, including St. Paul’s Secondary School, Oji, Enugu; Olu-Odo Primary School, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos; Government Junior Secondary School, Tsamiya, Kano; Christ’s School, Ado-Ekiti; and Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State.
Commending officers and men of the MMIA, Apapa, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau and Osun Commands, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged personnel to sustain the intelligence-driven offensive against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa also called for continued implementation of what he described as the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement operations with prevention, sensitisation and other measures to tackle the illicit drug trade.
NDLE Media and Advocacy, October 4, 2026)
