NDLEA Uncovers Cocaine in Religious Books, Arrests Drug Smugglers Nationwide in Major Busts

In a sweeping crackdown on drug trafficking across Nigeria, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have made a series of high-profile arrests and seizures, including the interception of cocaine cleverly concealed in religious books bound for Saudi Arabia.

The 500-gram cocaine consignment, hidden in 20 sets of religious texts, was intercepted on Tuesday, April 15, at a courier company in Lagos during a routine search by NDLEA’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation. The same day, another courier company in Lagos was busted for attempting to smuggle 2.8kg of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, from the United States.

In a separate operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives apprehended 22-year-old Muhammad Mohammed, allegedly supplying illicit drugs to bandits. He was found with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection strapped to his thighs and private parts. Another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, was caught with 30kg of skunk in the same state.

Further south, a raid in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, yielded a massive haul: 557.2kg of skunk, 5.6kg of methamphetamine, and 29.8g of heroin. Four suspects were arrested at the scene.

The Lagos Command also intercepted a delivery van carrying 1,100kg of skunk in Surulere on April 17, while NDLEA operatives in Kaduna raided a Zaria hideout and recovered 31,950 pills of tramadol and diazepam.

On April 18 in Kebbi, 97kg of skunk disguised within sacks of charcoal was discovered in a vehicle from Benin Republic. Three suspects were taken into custody.

In Anambra, 48-year-old Okafor Marcel was caught with 11.5kg of skunk, while in Osun State, a woman named Ajala Mercy was arrested with 43 litres of “skushi,” a dangerous cocktail of black currant, cannabis, and opioids.

Meanwhile, in Edo State, NDLEA officers destroyed over 3,700kg of cannabis on two farms hidden in the Egbeta forest and seized an additional 136.5kg of processed cannabis.

At the Tincan Seaport in Lagos, a long-wanted suspect, Basorun Usman Kayode, linked to a 2023 seizure of 107kg of Loud from Canada, was finally arrested. Another suspect, Dauda Yakubu, known for drug distribution within the seaport community, was also taken into custody.

The NDLEA also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, reaching schools, markets, and motor parks across the country with drug education and awareness programs.

Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved in these operations, praising their efforts to balance drug supply reduction with demand reduction across Nigeria