Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of cocaine concealed within twenty sets of religious books destined for Saudi Arabia. The director of media and advocacy at NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, stated that the cocaine consignment consisted of twenty parcels weighing a total of 500 grams, carefully hidden within the pages of the religious texts. This seizure occurred on Tuesday, April 15, when NDLEA officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) were inspecting export cargo bound for Saudi Arabia at a logistics firm in Lagos.

On the same day, NDLEA officers at another courier company intercepted five parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 2.8 kilograms. These parcels were concealed in a carton originating from the United States of America.

In a separate incident, NDLEA operatives apprehended 22-year-old Muhammad Mohammed, a supplier of illicit substances to bandits, in Kano. Mohammed was arrested on Sunday, April 13, while on patrol along Bichi – Kano Road. He was found to be carrying 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection, taped to his thigh and private parts.

Another suspect, Mohammed Abdulaziz, 43, was arrested on the same day in the Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano, with 68 blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 30kg.

In related operations, NDLEA operatives raided two cannabis farms located in Egbeta forest, Edo state. During the raid, they destroyed 3,717.8625kg of the psychoactive plant across 1.487145 hectares and recovered 136.5kg of processed cannabis.

Separately, at the Tincan seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested Kayode Basorun, 40, a suspect who had been evading capture for two years. His arrest is linked to the seizure of 107kg of Loud imported from Canada in 2023. Additionally, Dauda Yakubu, another suspect involved in distributing illicit drugs within the seaport community, was apprehended by a team of operatives on Monday, April 14.

Furthermore, NDLEA operatives have been actively intercepting illicit consignments at logistics firms and the Lagos airport, uncovering drugs such as Cocaine, Tramadol, Loud, and Molly. These substances were concealed in various items, including prayer beads, packs of board games, and female clothing, destined for the USA, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Poland, and UAE. The NDLEA continues its efforts to combat drug trafficking, exemplified by the arrest of a Malaysian returnee, Ndubuisi Udatu, who was found smuggling drugs within music speakers.