NDLEA intercepts cocaine hidden in food flasks at Lagos Airport, arrests fashion designer as nationwide raids crush drug networks

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a sophisticated drug trafficking network using food flasks and snack packs to smuggle cocaine and high-grade cannabis through Lagos, with multiple arrests at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a fashion designer among those detained.

This was contained in a press statement issued by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy at the NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, on Sunday, April 19, 2026.

At the Lagos airport export shed on Thursday, April 9, NDLEA operatives intercepted 12 parcels of cocaine weighing 2.80kg concealed in false compartments of food flasks and destined for the United Kingdom aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight. Two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim (33) and Ogabi Monday Akorede (39), were arrested on the spot, while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged sender, 52-year-old freight forwarder Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola.

In another operation at the import shed on Wednesday, April 8, officers seized 2.90kg of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside snack packs shipped from the United States via Delta Airlines. Two clearing agents were first arrested before the consignee, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, was tracked to Ogba, Lagos, and apprehended on Monday, April 13.

Further operations in Lagos on April 15 led to the interception of 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital along the Lagos-Badagry expressway, while a separate raid on a Lagos Island building recovered 95.8kg of skunk.

Across the country, NDLEA intensified its crackdown, destroying 15,000kg of skunk cultivated on a six-hectare farm in Cross River State and recovering additional quantities with arrests. In Edo State, over 2,281kg of cannabis was destroyed, while Delta State operatives arrested suspects with nearly 88kg of skunk and seeds.

In Kaduna, a trailer disguised as a cement carrier was intercepted along the Zaria highway with 847kg of skunk hidden in blocks and jumbo bags, leading to the arrest of the driver.

The agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns in schools, worship centres, and communities nationwide.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the Lagos, Edo, Delta, Cross River and Kaduna Commands for the coordinated operations, urging sustained pressure on drug trafficking networks across the country.