Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 55-year-old businessman, Ndubisi Chinedu Onuigbo, for allegedly attempting to export 3.30 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the walls of cartons used to package food items bound for the United Kingdom.
Onuigbo, a clothing trader at the popular Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was arrested on Thursday, July 23, 2026, following the interception of the cocaine consignment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Wednesday, July 22.
During investigations, three cargo agents—Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed, and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim—who handled the shipment were initially arrested. Their arrest led to the apprehension of Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the consignment for shipment to the United Kingdom.
Further investigation identified Onuigbo as the alleged kingpin behind the syndicate. He was subsequently arrested while attempting to dispatch another cocaine consignment to the UK.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo at her Surulere residence in Lagos on Tuesday, July 21, following the seizure of her 2.80kg consignment of Canadian Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, which had arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight on Monday, July 20.
Also at the Lagos airport, NDLEA officers intercepted 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, with an estimated street value of over ₦2.2 billion, during a joint examination of a cargo shipment from India that arrived aboard an Air Maroc flight on Friday, July 24. The operation was carried out based on intelligence gathered by the agency.
The seizure came shortly after NDLEA operatives uncovered a consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap destined for the United Kingdom. The shipment was intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on Wednesday, July 22.
At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers also discovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud, weighing 2,388.5kg and valued at over ₦7.1 billion, concealed inside three vehicles loaded in a container. The discovery was made during a joint examination of the shipment on Monday, July 20.
Meanwhile, in Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi Community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, on Sunday, July 19, recovering 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds. During the operation, Ojore Onweze, 45, was arrested with 60kg of skunk, while George Agwumede, 30, was apprehended with 13kg of the same substance.
