NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine, Tramadol Concealed in Car Mirrors at Lagos Airport

By Oluwakemi Kindness

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of cocaine and tramadol concealed in vehicle side mirrors at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

The interception in a major operation by operatives of the NDLEA also led to the arrest of key members of an export smuggling ring.

The first batch of the illicit shipment, comprising 57,420 pills of tramadol 225mg and 57 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.60 kilograms, was seized on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at the airport’s export shed.

A statement on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, says the consignment, concealed within 71 vehicle side mirrors, was destined for Libreville, Gabon, aboard Air Côte d’Ivoire.

He says following the interception, NDLEA operatives arrested a well-known cargo agent, Ihekweme Osinachi Benedict, who was handling the shipment.

Further investigations led to the arrest of another suspect, Uzochukwu Godspower Chukwurah, the following day.

A subsequent raid on Uzochukwu’s residence on Monday, July 21, yielded 11 additional parcels of cocaine weighing 1kg, concealed in four more side mirrors.

This brings the total cocaine haul from the operation to 68 parcels, weighing 2.60 kilograms.

In a related operation, NDLEA officers arrested Nwafor Roseann Nneka, a businesswoman, at her shop in the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos, on Friday, August 1.

Her arrest followed the interception of 100 grams of cocaine and 300 grams of phenacetine, a cocaine adulterant, concealed in ladies’ lipsticks bound for Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

Two cargo agents linked to the shipment had earlier been apprehended. Nneka confessed that while she purchased the lipsticks, her husband, Remigus Nwafor—currently on the run—was responsible for concealing the drugs.

The NDLEA’s intensified operations also extended to Abuja, where three dispatch riders—Sabo Sule, 24; Samuel Nnamdi, 28; and Idris Jibrin, 28—were arrested in the Gwarimpa, Jahi, and Galadimawa areas on Wednesday, July 30, for distributing illicit substances within the city.

A total of 149.8 grams of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, were recovered from the suspects.