NDLEA exposes new drug trafficking tactic on trans-Sahara routes (Video)

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has sounded the alarm over an emerging drug trafficking tactic in which suspects swallow illicit substances to transport them across land borders through the Sahara Desert en route to North Africa and Europe.

The agency disclosed that traffickers are increasingly abandoning traditional air travel routes in favour of overland networks, following intensified surveillance and tighter screening procedures at Nigerian airports.

According to NDLEA officials, the new method involves couriers ingesting pellets of hard drugs before embarking on long-distance road journeys that pass through Nigeria’s northern corridors and across trans-Saharan routes into countries in North Africa, from where the drugs are later moved into Europe.

The agency attributed the shift to enhanced security checks at international airports, including advanced body scanners, passenger profiling, and intelligence-led monitoring systems, which have led to a rise in arrests of drug couriers attempting to smuggle narcotics by air.

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With airport interdictions becoming more frequent, trafficking networks are reportedly recalibrating their operations by exploiting porous land borders and vast desert routes that are more difficult to monitor comprehensively.

However, the NDLEA warned that the strategy is not foolproof, noting that it has stepped up patrols and intelligence gathering along major highways and border corridors.

Security experts say the tactic of ingesting drug pellets poses severe health risks to couriers, including the possibility of overdose or death if the packets rupture inside the body.

Beyond the medical dangers, the agency noted that the use of overland routes increases the risk of drugs filtering into local markets, thereby worsening domestic substance abuse challenges.

In response to the evolving tactic, the NDLEA said it is expanding surveillance operations along key road networks and strengthening collaboration with other security agencies to track and intercept suspicious movements.

The agency also reiterated its commitment to disrupting transnational drug syndicates that use Nigeria as a transit hub for narcotics bound for Europe and other regions.

Officials emphasised that intelligence-sharing with neighbouring countries and international partners will remain central to efforts aimed at dismantling trafficking networks exploiting trans-Saharan corridors.

The warning underscores the dynamic nature of drug trafficking operations and the continuing cat-and-mouse battle between enforcement agencies and criminal syndicates adapting to tighter security controls.