Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in microwaves and imported from Thailand, as well as wraps of cocaine in ladies’ lipsticks being taken to Malabo in Guinea at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.

The Loud consignment was part of a consolidated cargo that arrived in two tranches on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Based on credible intelligence, the cargo was subjected to a thorough search during which 23 parcels of Loud, weighing 11.3kg and concealed in new microwaves, were recovered on Monday, July 7, 2025.

The Spokesperson for the agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, yesterday, said that a suspect, Ezenwegbu Chike, had been arrested in connection with the seizure.

Also, the NDLEA operatives, at the export shed of the Lagos Airport intercepted another consignment of cocaine concealed into ladies’ lipsticks as part of a cargo containing hair attachments, face powder, and other items heading to Malabo, Guinea.

This was barely a week after a total of 420 grammes of cocaine fitted in 84 pieces of female lipsticks heading to the United Kingdom (UK) were seized at a courier company in Lagos.

However, about 400 grammes of cocaine and phenacetine, a cutting agent, were recovered from the lipsticks when dismantled, and a businessman at the Trade Fair Complex in the Ojo area of Lagos State, Ezeikwelume Prince Afam, was arrested on Friday, July 11, 2025, in connection with the seizure.

Meanwhile, a notorious drug kingpin, Okechukwu Izugha (a.k.a Okey Omeogo), has been arrested in Lagos by operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the NDLEA after 12 months of going into hiding. He was nabbed on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at his wife’s shop in Ijesha market.

Izugha came under the NDLEA radar on August 7, 2024, after nine kilogrammes of cocaine were recovered from a suspect, Obiora Joseph Agudosi, at a motor park in Orile, Lagos, while attempting to go and deliver the consignment in the South-East.

He was identified as the owner of the seized drug. During the investigation of the kingpin and his network, his wife, Maureen Izugha, was arrested with 500 grammes of cocaine at her beverages store in Ijesha market on January 21, 2025. She was subsequently arraigned in court, convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment.

But unaware that the NDLEA was still on his trail, the wanted kingpin came out of his hiding and was promptly arrested last Wednesday. In Edo State, about 28,054.053 kilogrammes of skunk, a local strain of cannabis, were destroyed on three farms measuring over 11 hectares of land at Ewere Uzebba Forest in Owan West Local Council on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. Additionally, 82kg of already processed cannabis were recovered from the location.

NDLEA operatives, who went for the operation, however, came under gun attack from armed members of the cartel on their way out of the forest. They were able to repel the attack and came out unhurt, although one of their operational vehicles was riddled with bullets.

In Lagos, 1,400 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 700kg and a Ford delivery truck marked JJJ 698 YJ were recovered at Okun-Ajah Beach. Two suspects, Innocent Ejidiobo and Friday Paul, were nabbed along Ajah -Epe expressway by the NDLEA operatives on Friday, July 11. Recovered from them were 26kg of Ghana Loud, 123grammes of methamphetamine and 45grammes of Molly, as well as their delivery van with registration number AJK 191 LG.

On Saturday, July 12, Godwin Chimaobi Nwaobi, 42, was arrested by the NDLEA operatives in Maiduguri, Borno State, with 18,759 ampoules of pentazocine, pills of tramadol and rohypnol at Njimtilo.

This came on the heels of the seizure of 10,000 pills of tramadol from another suspect, Abdulrahman Bello Ahmadu, 34, on Wednesday, July 9. In Gombe State, their counterparts recovered a total of 116,226 pills of tramadol and D-5 from five suspects: Hafiz Bello, 22; Isah Suleman, 48; Kabiru Muhammed, 30; Abdullahi Adamu, 30; and Abel Murna, 25, at Gombe main market and along Gombe-Kano Road on Tuesday, and Saturday, July 8 and 12.

A suspect, Sabiu Bala, was arrested along Okene-Lokoja Expressway in Kogi State on Thursday, July 10, while conveying 316.600kg of skunk. Another suspect, Haladu Suleiman, 38, was nabbed by the NDLEA operatives with 58.805kg of the same substance in Gubuchi area of Ikara Local Council, Kaduna State.

In Taraba State, three suspects: Auwal Ibrahim, 30; Lukman Ibrahim, 18, and Hamza Adamu, 25, were arrested by the NDLEA officers at Lanka Viri checkpoint on Saturday, July 12, while conveying 577,890 pills of opioids and 1.160kg of skunk concealed in the tyre compartment of a petrol tanker marked MUB 334 YH.

The arrest of the trio on Tuesday, July 8, followed credible intelligence. Three other suspects: Shamsudini Abdullahi, 35; Adamu Abdullahi,21; and Magaji Rabo, 26, were nabbed with 48.1kg of skunk at Janguza Barracks area of Kano State by the NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, July 9.