In a series of sweeping nationwide operations, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted massive shipments of illicit drugs, unmasked international smuggling syndicates, and raided cannabis farms across multiple states.
According to the the spokes person of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi on Sunday in statement, at the import shed of the Lagos airport on Friday, November 6, 2026, NDLEA operatives uncovered 750,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 526 kilograms, with a street value of N900 million. The shipment from India had been falsely declared as Paracetamol Tablets 500mg and arrived aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
Follow-up operations led to the arrest of 34-year-old caterer Adeoye Sarafa Ojo, who came to collect the consignment.
Further operations at the Lagos airport and courier companies led to major cannabis and synthetic drug interceptions, including:
32 parcels of Loud (a strain of cannabis) weighing 16.15 kilograms concealed inside two wooden sofas from Houston, Texas, seized on November 4.
Syndicate chemical seizures involving nine parcels of illicit substances hidden in two cartons of snacks (“Michael Tea Guy”) from the United Kingdom, containing 1.20 kilograms of cannabis and 28.65kg of synthetic cannabis production chemicals, resulting in the arrest of freight agent Afolabi Abiodun Wale and recipient Okwuite Benjamin Ojone.
Various international mail intercepts, including Swinol tablets bound for Australia and Tramadol/Pregabalin hidden inside vitamin C containers and female head wears destined for the UK.
In addition to airport seizures, extensive state operations yielded significant results.
In Ondo State, operatives raided Odofin Road in Uso, recovering 148 bags of cannabis weighing 1,818 kilograms, and destroyed a one-hectare cannabis plantation in Board Forest, arresting a suspect named Itoro Linus Akpan.
In Ekiti State, a 53-year-old man, Agbo Paul Peter, was arrested at Osin Forest with 216 kilograms of cannabis and cannabis seeds.
In Edo State, a Golf saloon car intercepted along the Auchi-Ibillo road led to the arrest of two suspects with 19 bags of cannabis, while a raid on a notorious drug joint in GRA, Benin City, nabbed three additional suspects with Colorado, Loud, and cannabis.
In Taraba and Enugu States: Joint checkpoint operations intercepted hundreds of blocks of compressed cannabis and thousands of Tramadol capsules.
The NDLEA leadership commended the various state and airport commands for their relentless efforts, urging officers to maintain the current momentum in suppressing both drug supply and demand across the country.
