NDLEA Foils Drug Smuggling in Frozen Snails, Bulbs Bound for Abroad

By Oluwakemi Kindness

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted multiple consignments of illicit drugs concealed in unusual items.

The items includes frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and female clothes bound for the United States, United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the interceptions were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and a courier company in Lagos, leading to the arrest of two suspects.

One of the suspects, Boladale Riliwan, was arrested on October 7, 2025, after 15 parcels of skunk (a potent strain of cannabis) were discovered hidden in 10 rechargeable electrical bulbs meant for export to DRC.

Similarly, 48-year-old UK-based Public Health Assistant, Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, was arrested on October 12 at MMIA Terminal 2 with 2,300 tramadol 225mg pills concealed in frozen snails en route to Manchester, United Kingdom, aboard a Qatar Airways flight.

In another bust, NDLEA officers at a Lagos courier company intercepted 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothing destined for the United States on October 16.

In Adamawa State, operatives intercepted 38,270 tramadol pills concealed in a car’s spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of a Honda Civic driven from Benin Republic by Bello Buba.

Massive cannabis farms were also destroyed in Ekiti and Ondo States. NDLEA operatives eliminated 53,250kg of skunk grown on 21.3 hectares in Ilawe Ekiti and recovered 1,140kg more in raids. In Ondo, 17,400kg of skunk was destroyed on 6.96 hectares of farmland.

In Oyo State, six suspects were arrested with over 869kg of skunk in separate raids at Igboora and Igangan. Similar operations in Ogun, Imo, and Enugu States led to the recovery of 88kg, 13,000 pills of opioids, and 74.5kg of skunk, respectively.

Meanwhile, NDLEA officers in Lagos recovered 117kg of skunk from Mushin and intercepted 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup from a container shipment from India during a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service at the Apapa Port.

Beyond enforcement, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continued nationwide, with sensitization lectures held in schools and communities across Ekiti, Katsina, Rivers, Jigawa, Kano, Edo, Enugu, and Ogun States.

 

NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved for their vigilance and urged all commands to sustain the momentum through a balanced approach combining enforcement and public education.