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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted illicit drugs worth over N7.1 billion at two Lagos ports and arrested an 85-year-old woman in Edo State as part of a nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking.
The development was disclosed on Sunday, October 18, 2026, in a statement issued by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The operations, conducted between October 2 and 17, covered Lagos, Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), resulting in multiple arrests and the seizure of thousands of kilogrammes of cannabis and large quantities of opioids.
Lagos ports yield N7.1 billion drugs
According to the NDLEA, its operatives uncovered 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol valued at over N6.98 billion at Apapa Port in Lagos, following a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies.
The shipment, which originated from India and was falsely declared as maize starch, was initially discovered on October 2.
The agency stated:
- “A confirmatory test at the NDLEA forensic laboratory showed the cargo to be tramadol hydrochloride powder. When it was separated from its concealment on Wednesday 14th October, it came to 349 bags with a gross weight of 8,725kg, worth over N6.98 billion.”
In another operation at Tin Can Island Port on October 12, operatives recovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud valued at N165 million, concealed inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle transported in a 40-foot container.
Elsewhere in Lagos, officers recovered 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 Molly tablets from a shop in Idumota Market, while two suspects were arrested in Mushin with a combined 121.18 kilogrammes of skunk. Another operation at Iyana Oba uncovered 18,000 tramadol tablets concealed in cartons labelled as insecticide.
In Edo State, operatives arrested 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka with 179 kilogrammes of skunk during raids across Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16. Five other suspects were arrested with additional quantities of cannabis and other controlled substances.
- The agency also recorded significant seizures in other states, including 7,500 kilogrammes of cannabis destroyed in Ondo, 894,800 tramadol and Exol-5 pills intercepted in Bauchi, and 130,100 tablets recovered in Kano.
In Kaduna and Abuja, operatives recovered 496.5 kilogrammes of cannabis and 79,000 tramadol tablets and capsules in separate raids.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers involved and urged continued intelligence-led operations against drug trafficking networks.
NDLEA records multibillion-naira drug seizures
The latest seizures add to a series of multibillion-naira drug interceptions recorded by the NDLEA in 2026, highlighting the scale of illicit drug trafficking and enforcement activities across Nigeria.
The agency has carried out several major operations involving narcotics destruction, opioid interceptions and cannabis seizures in different parts of the country.
- In August, the agency destroyed approximately 329,866 kilogrammes of narcotics valued at N301.06 billion in Lagos, following court orders involving concluded and abandoned cases. The consignment included drugs seized during earlier enforcement operations.
- Later that month, NDLEA operatives intercepted Captagon, commonly called the Jihadi drug, alongside millions of opioid tablets valued at over N6.2 billion at Lagos‘ Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
- The seizures continued into October, when the agency intercepted illicit drugs worth more than N5 billion at ports in Lagos and Rivers State, while destroying another 20,234 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated in Osun State.
These operations preceded the latest interceptions at Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, where the agency recovered drugs valued at over N7.1 billion.
NDLEA uncovers international drug syndicates
Beyond the growing value of intercepted drugs, recent NDLEA investigations have exposed the involvement of foreign nationals and international criminal networks in Nigeria’s illicit drug production and trafficking activities.
The agency has also recorded arrests involving elderly suspects, with the latest case in Edo State following a similar operation in Ogun State.
- In September, the agency dismantled a Nigerian-Mexican drug syndicate operating a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Enugu State, arresting two Nigerian suspects allegedly collaborating with a Mexican cartel member based in Mexico City.
Earlier that month, the agency announced the arrest of Mexican national Arturo Carrera Loaiza while attempting to leave Nigeria through Lagos airport. Investigators linked him to another clandestine methamphetamine laboratory uncovered in Ebonyi State.
