NDLEA bursts major drug networks, cocaine found in religious books

In a sweeping nationwide operation, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered multiple drug trafficking plots, intercepting consignments ranging from cocaine disguised in religious books to cannabis concealed in bags of charcoal.

In Lagos, officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) discovered a shipment of cocaine hidden within 20 sets of religious books destined for Saudi Arabia.

The bust, made on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at a courier company, revealed 20 parcels of cocaine weighing a total of 500 grams meticulously concealed within the pages of the books.

That same day, at another logistics hub, NDLEA personnel intercepted five parcels of “Loud” — a potent strain of cannabis — weighing 2.8 kilograms, smuggled from the United States inside a carton.

Meanwhile, in Kano, NDLEA officers arrested 22-year-old Muhammad Mohammed on Sunday, April 13, along the Bichi-Kano road.

Mohammed, suspected of supplying drugs to bandits, was found with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied to his thigh and private parts with Sellotape as he traveled towards Katsina.

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Another arrest the same day in Kano saw 43-year-old Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz apprehended in the Research Rimin Kebe area with 68 blocks of skunk cannabis, weighing 30 kilograms.

In Bayelsa State, a major warehouse raid on Wednesday, April 16, yielded a staggering cache of drugs.

NDLEA operatives stormed a property along Major General Isaiah Allison Street, Opolo, Yenagoa, recovering 557.2 kilograms of skunk, 5.6 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 29.8 grams of heroin.

Four suspects — Sarimiye Suwa Kurtis, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare Paul, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46 — were arrested during the operation.

The Lagos Command also made another significant seizure on Thursday, April 17, recovering 1,100 kilograms of skunk from a delivery van in Surulere. The driver, Ismail Abdullahi, was taken into custody.

In Kaduna, a Friday, April 18 raid led to the arrest of Ike Ani, 30, in Zaria. NDLEA operatives recovered no fewer than 31,950 pills of tramadol (225mg) and diazepam from his hideout.

Cross-border drug smuggling was also disrupted in Kebbi State. On Bagudo Road, NDLEA officers intercepted a vehicle transporting charcoal from Malabil, Benin Republic. Hidden inside the charcoal sacks were 97 kilograms of skunk.

Three men — Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28 — were arrested during the operation.

In Anambra State, a 48-year-old man, Okafor Marcel, was caught with 11.5 kilograms of skunk in Abatete, while in Osun State, Ajala Mercy, 27, was apprehended at her residence in Osogbo’s Dada Estate with 43 liters of “skushi” — a local cocktail of black currant, cannabis, and opioids.

Further south in Edo State, NDLEA officers raided two cannabis farms hidden in the Egbeta forest of Ovia North East Local Government Area. A total of 3,717.8625 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on 1.487 hectares was destroyed, with an additional 136.5 kilograms of processed cannabis recovered from the site.