NDLEA Seizes 116 Wraps of Heroin and Cocaine in Lagos

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted two Brazil returnees at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, recovering a total of 116 wraps of heroin and cocaine from their bodies after days of observation. The arrests are the latest in a string of anti-narcotics operations by the agency aimed at curbing international drug trafficking networks.

NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed the development in a statement released on Sunday, noting that the first suspect, Ofoma Sunday, 46, was arrested on September 16 at Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport upon arrival from São Paulo, Brazil, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

“He was taken for a body scan, which confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs,” the statement read. “Ofoma had left Nigeria for Brazil on September 3 to courier the consignment to Lagos for a reward of $2,500 upon successful delivery.”

Following his arrest, NDLEA operatives placed him under excretion observation, during which he passed 111 wraps of heroin weighing 1.45 kilograms in eight batches. Acting on intelligence, the agency launched a follow-up sting at Eliata Hotel, Amuwo Odofin, where Ofoma was instructed to meet an accomplice, Nweke Jude Chukwudi, 55, allegedly tasked with monitoring the excretion process and collecting the drugs. Chukwudi was immediately arrested.

In a separate operation just three days later, NDLEA officers apprehended another returnee, Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu, during the inward clearance of passengers arriving from Brazil via Addis Ababa on September 19. A body scan confirmed illicit drug concealment, and during observation, he expelled five wraps of cocaine weighing 145 grams.

Ikechukwu admitted to buying nine wraps of cocaine in Brazil and inserting them into his body, a process that took him nearly two hours. He said that during his transit through Addis Ababa, he experienced intense anal pain and removed two wraps, flushing them in a toilet before reinserting the remaining seven. However, he expelled two more mid-flight, leaving only five wraps inside him by the time he landed in Lagos.

NDLEA operatives also reported a third arrest earlier in the week. Okolonkwo Theresa, a businesswoman, was detained on September 14 at the airport’s Terminal 2 while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. During a search, officials discovered two large parcels of methamphetamine weighing 1.40 kilograms concealed in her butt-pad underwear.

Separately, on September 15, operatives at the NAHCO export shed intercepted a consignment of food items containing 40 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 2.30 kilograms and headed for Hong Kong via Turkish Airlines. A 59-year-old suspect, Umelo Ifeanyi Venatus, who presented the cargo as part of a consolidated shipment, was taken into custody.

Babafemi stressed that these arrests highlight the persistent threat posed by international drug cartels using Nigerian routes for trafficking. “Our commitment to dismantling these criminal networks remains resolute. Those caught will face prosecution under the NDLEA Act,” he stated.

The agency has stepped up surveillance at airports and border points, citing a recent rise in the number of Nigerians recruited to traffic drugs for quick cash. NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd.) has repeatedly warned of the dangers of body-packing, which often results in death if a wrap bursts in transit.

Security experts say Brazil-Nigeria drug routes remain a major concern for West African law enforcement agencies, as traffickers increasingly exploit weak monitoring systems and desperate couriers seeking financial survival. NDLEA’s recent operations, however, signal a tougher stance on transnational crime and a warning to syndicates targeting Nigeria as a trafficking hub.

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