NDLEA intercepts fuel tanker with 2,145kg cannabis hidden in false compartment (Video)

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker carrying 2,145 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in a false compartment in Ondo State.

The tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, was intercepted along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway on Friday, September 4, 2026, after its driver allegedly refused to stop when flagged down by NDLEA operatives.

According to NDLEA Director of Media and Publicity, Femi Babafemi, the driver subsequently abandoned the tanker at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled into the bush.

A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a specially concealed compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg. The illicit consignment was hidden alongside the tanker’s legitimate fuel cargo, which was reportedly destined for Jos, Plateau State.

The agency described the discovery as one of the significant interceptions recorded during its latest intelligence-led operations. It also said the tanker was notorious for evading arrest in previous operations.

The seizure formed part of a wider coordinated crackdown on drug trafficking carried out by the NDLEA across nine states, including Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu.

In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives recovered 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, valued at more than N1.1 billion, from a consignment imported from Pakistan. The tablets were reportedly concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton shipment.

The agency also reported the recovery of 57.80kg of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, from a shipment from Singapore, as well as other seizures of cannabis, opioids and psychotropic substances in different parts of the country.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks.

Marwa warned that traffickers using legitimate businesses and sophisticated concealment methods to move illicit drugs would continue to be targeted by the agency.

The driver of the seized tanker remained at large as of the agency’s latest statement, with the circumstances surrounding the shipment subject to further investigation.